Amnesia
by Cassandra Pierson
Summary: Voldemort is dead and Harry Potter vanished. When Severus Snape stumbles over someone who looks like Harry on a mission for the Order it raises an important question: Is the Muggle John Doe really The Boy Who Lived?
1. Disclaimer, Author's Notes & Chapter 1

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Author's Note: Every other year I give my sister a story as a birthday present. It's more or less tradition. As I just started up writing again I thought this would be a nice start. This story has been written for pure enjoyment. Please do not take it any different. If Slash is not your cup of tea - or the Harry Potter/Severus Snape pairing - you should not be reading this story. There is no explicit sex in this story; intimacy does not go beyond a kiss here or there. Harry Potter is over 20 years old now as well.  
  
Thanks to: Darkmoore, my beta. You are the greatest; I would not know what to do without you! Any medical knowledge that is portrayed in the story has been contributed by Darkmoore; I would not know how to put a band-aid on a paper-cut. Further all mistakes are mine, Darkmoore did her best to find them, but as my mother tongue is German I still have problems with mixing certain words up. Thank you, Darkmoore.  
  
Christine, my sister, who I love dearly and who is a continuous source of encouragement for me.  
  
Chapter 1 – Loss of Memory  
  
Lurking behind the corner of a house Severus Snape spied into an alley. His mind was not entirely focused on the mission, it kept wandering back to the briefing in Dumbledore's study and the way the old goat had persuaded him to take part in the current dilemma. For exactly one year the world had been free of Voldemort, but there were still problems with the minions he had left behind. Almost every other day further acts of wizardly terrorism occurred. Most of these attacks consisted in humiliating and/or killing Muggles or the Muggleborn amongst the wizarding society.  
  
Snape would not wish any of those deaths on anyone – not even his worst enemy. Like at the time when Voldemort had still been with them they strove to strike terror into people's hearts. Not just wizards and witches, also Muggles. Muggles and Squibs who had no way of protecting themselves against Cruciatus or any other pain inducing spell they had come up with. Lately disturbing news of victims of a newly invented spell had reached Dumbledore's ears. Horribly disfigured bodies had been found. The Muggle autopsies had revealed their inner organs to be rearranged by a force so strong that they featured cell-deep fissures.  
  
The report they had received from the police had been in scientific language and when Dumbledore asked Severus Snape to translate it into 'proper English a normal wizard can understand' he had not been overly pleased. It took him only an hour to work through the ten-page treatise the forensic doctor had composed. Before he had handed in his translation work, Snape had sat in his office, a bottle of Firewhisky in front of him, without a glass.  
  
While Voldemort had inspired far more fear in the people, his leftover supporters did their fair share of damage. They seemed to search for spells that did more physical damage than the Cruciatus. Snape could not tell if there was more pain involved, but he could not imagine such bodily changes going over completely painlessly. One part of the report stuck in his mind.  
  
"This is not a natural prenatal deformity, for this person would not have been viable. This is the result of a conscious torture of a human being. Who would do something like this or how it is possible is beyond my understanding."  
  
Severus Snape was used to a lot, but this was beyond everything he knew. No one deserved to die in this fashion. Cruciatus and Avada Kedavra were nothing even closely related to this new spell. At least Avada Kedavra killed quickly and only prolonged subjection to the Cruciatus curse did sever harm to the mind. Azkaban would be too good for them. Standing in the shadows at the entrance to the ally he thought back on the first time he had seen a victim of this spell with his own eyes. Even Dumbledore had looked shocked at the sight - and there was not much that could faze the wily old wizard.  
  
Before Harry Potter had defeated his archenemy no one had spared a thought to what would happen to the Death Eaters, once everything was over. Now everyone was scared of what the ownerless dark wizards would continue to do.  
  
The Order of the Phoenix had not been disbanded yet and even while Snape was no longer a spy for the Light he was still one of their members. Just how Dumbledore managed to get him to volunteer for certain missions again and again was beyond him. His current hypothesis was that there was something funny in the tea.  
  
But then, Dumbledore and Snape had a kind of ritual they went through every time Snape was sent on a mission. It was more for Snape's peace of mind than anything else. While he had always had to do anything Voldemort had told him without protest, with Dumbledore he was free do object. And he did. Every time before a meeting that was what he did, test Dumbledore and remind himself of his freedom. On some missions he really did not want to go, but he did, out of respect for his fatherly friend. It was a game; both players understood the rules of.  
  
A sudden noise shook him out of his thoughts. It had not been loud, but it made Snape suspicious. Wrapped into the invisibility cloak as he was, no one would be able to see him, nevertheless he wished to stay inconspicuous and the thought of someone tripping over him just seemed so terribly undignified.  
  
The figure that finally stumbled out of the alley did not have a wand in hand. Come to that, the man did not even wear robes but normal Muggle clothing. Intrigued against his better judgement, Snape closed in on the unknown person. Brown, wild hair stood up in every direction. Looks like Harry used to wear it. The thought had come so unexpected Snape had no time to steel himself against the pressure in the vicinity of his heart. Damn you, Harry Potter.  
  
The Boy Who Lived. Hogwarts golden boy. Albus Dumbledore's champion. The chink in Severus Snape's armour.  
  
His right hand wrapped tightly in the silvery material of what had once been Harry's invisibility cloak, Snape buried all his feelings. It was one of the things Harry had left in their home. Actually Harry had not taken anything with him, not even his owl who had mourned the loss as much as he had. There had never been a body, but The Boy Who Lived had slowly turned into The Man Who Died For Us. Twelve months on the day and Snape still hurt like it had been mere hours ago that he realised his lover had never returned from the full-fledged battle.  
  
The man stopped moving, looking around like he felt watched. That was the first time Snape managed to get a good look on the strangers face. He hadn't expected the shock at seeing the familiar face and had to clamp his left hand – which was still clutching his wand – over his mouth. Harry! The man looked exactly like Harry Potter. The only thing missing was the lighting scar on his forehead.  
  
"John!" The voice that echoed in the ally sounded frightened and angry.  
  
The sudden intrusion almost made Snape jump, but his iron discipline kept him from moving an inch. Moving might generate unnatural sounds and he did not want to make the Muggles notice anything strange. His eyes were trained on the Harry-look-a-like, who turned around only hesitatingly. It was like he felt the disturbance of the other Muggle just as strongly as Snape.  
  
Interruption  
  
"I'm here."  
  
Even the voice sounded like Harry's. John? His mission forgotten, Snape silently followed the man until he met up with someone else.  
  
"Jesus, you scared me to death. What is wrong with you? Why on earth did you just run off like that?" A young man came into view, shaking John furiously. The Muggle was dressed in the whites of a Muggle-nurse and looked scared - scared and extremely angry. "You don't even remember your bloody name, so stay with the group. The hospital is going to kill me if I lose you." The ring in his voice told Snape he was barely controlling his temper.  
  
Hospital? Snape's mouth moved soundlessly. A well of protectiveness asserted itself in the vicinity of his stomach. If that Muggle would dare raise a hand against the Harry look-alike Snape would have to fight against the urge to jinx him into next week.  
  
John's hand snapped up to his head. "I ... I thought I recognised this place." Looking distinctly green in the face he moved away from the enraged hospital employee to nearly brush against a dazed Snape and proceeded to lean against the house wall Snape had been lurking at only minutes ago. Breathing deeply he seemed to struggle with his composure. "I want to go back to St. Margaret's, please."  
  
"For someone who's been in a coma for 9 months you move surprisingly fast," the nurse said much less irate than a minute before. He took John's elbow as if to keep him from running away again and led the shaken man away from the alley. "You should be more careful, this isn't a good neighbourhood." Decidedly gentle he continued talking to the obviously disturbed younger man, as if the perpetual drone of his voice about nonsense would actually calm down the patient who was docilely being dragged along. Snape suspected the nurse did it more for his own comfort than his charges.  
  
He watched their progress until they vanished around another corner on the way to the main-street – long after he ceased to hear the nurse's babbling. After another moment of contemplation of the far away corner, he moved back to his spot at the wall. All thoughts about the mission had vanished from his mind and were only now returning slowly. Still, he could not help himself as he unwound his right hand from its tight grip on the cloak and without thinking his hand came to rest on the spot that Harry hat touched earlier. No. John. It can't be Harry. Our Harry is dead and this man didn't have the scar.  
  
His hand curled up into a fist and his face grew grim. As he moved back into his position at the mouth of the alley, he decided that it would be a good move to see who the Harry-look-alike really was. It would be best to do that before the Daily Prophet discovered him. Just to make sure, of course.  
  
Only the magical snares he had laid out before he had waited for his – hopefully – unsuspecting victim warned him. There was no suspicious noise in the alley, but the silent vibration of his wand alerted him to the danger. Someone had Apparated in and was just now trying to leave. Snape did not intend to give the offender a chance to get away and soundlessly sneaked closer. Muttering a curse he put the wizard to sleep.  
  
"Way too easy." The words left his mouth as a mere whisper that didn't even reach his own ears. He crouched next to the prone body, removed the wand out of an unresponsive wand-hand, and then he prodded the man once, just to be sure. The wizard would sleep until the counter-spell was spoken, not even Finite Incantatem would be able to break it and it was bound to Snape as well. No power on earth would be able to wake up this Death Eater, and finally the Order would have its answers. Answers that might or might not prove vital to the cause.  
  
His jaw clenched almost painfully, Snape Apparated himself and his prisoner to the safe location Dumbledore had pointed him to. His left hand lovingly patting a vial of Veritaserum in one of his numerous pockets.  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	2. Confusion

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Chapter 2 - Confusion  
  
"I tell you, Albus, the Muggle looked like Harry. Only the scar on his fore-head was non-existent." Snape was pacing in Albus Dumbledore's office; having refused to 'sit and relax' as his old friend so nicely put it. "I want to investigate this further, find out who he is, before Rita Skeeter starts to unearth one of her infamous stories." Dumbledore just sat there, drinking his tea and eating some of the sweets Snape had bought for him on his last undercover mission. Minstrels. Who in his right mind would call sweets minstrels? Especially if one considered that they did not even hum a tune.  
  
"I think you are completely right, my boy." Taking another sip of his calming chamomile tea, he watched a definitely agitated Potion Master try to put a dent into his hardwood floor. "And I know just the right wizard for this mission." Watching as Severus turned around his face set with stubbornness, he knew that this time he wanted the job. "Remus would be overjoyed to see if what you suspect is true or not."  
  
Years of practise had taught Albus that sometimes it was good if his people thought that they could actually get their way. Making sure that never happened in the important things was a part of his position that Albus enjoyed very much. Popping another minstrel into his mouth he leaned back and assessed the changes in his Potion Master's stance. It spoke volumes of how much Harry still meant to him, even after a whole year of absence. Albus knew first hand what kind of a man Severus Snape was to his friends and the people in his inner circle: Passionate, loyal to a fault and someone who you could count on in dangerous situations.  
  
"You can't be serious, headmaster. The dolt wouldn't be able to find his own shoes, never mind a Muggle that could be Merlin knows where in that city. If you allow, I will search myself and perform the Cognosco spell to find out if he indeed is Harry." With a forceful movement he turned around to intently study one of the many paintings hanging on the walls of Dumbledore's office. "The voice, Albus, he sounded exactly like Harry."  
  
Taken aback by the softening of Snape's tone, Albus decided to drop the charade, both of them were aware was being played. "Severus, my boy, do what you have to do. Find out who that man is and report daily. You know I was only joking."  
  
"I know, headmaster." He had found his composure again and dared to turn around now. "He got to me, Albus. For the first time since I finished Hogwarts, someone got to me. And he had to go and get himself killed. Now I find out that he might not even be dead, but in a Muggle hospital, in a coma and, to top it off, without memory."  
  
"I know how you feel," Albus couldn't bear the hurt in Snape's voice. The man had endured so much already and now this.  
  
"No, old friend, I don't think you know how I feel. You have no idea how I feel at all. But that's okay." 3 years ago he would never have used the word 'okay'. He would not have used many of the words he seemed to be using nowadays. It was one of the many signs as to how Harry had influenced him when he had still been there. "I want to know what happened."  
  
Taking one last sip from his tea Albus nodded gravely. "Don't forget to send me daily updates via owl. You'd better be going now."  
  
Severus eyes snapped up to share a glance with the headmaster. After an answering nod he turned around and left the office almost at a running speed.  
  
"I hope you find what you are searching for, Severus. I hope you find him, for us all." Fawkes settled on his lap at that moment and made reassuring noises. "Thanks, my friend." He sat there for a long time, petting the phoenix absentmindedly and looking at the door Severus Snape had left through.  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	3. Recognition

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.

A/N: As someone requested larger chapters I thought I'd post two. I have two more finished and I will post them over the course of the weekend as I want to look over them again before putting them up. Enjoy!

Chapter 3 – Recognition  
  
Getting into St. Margaret's was fairly easy. Visitors were not searched at all and wearing Muggle clothing Severus did not stick out of the crowd. None of his students would have recognised him in his blue jeans and a dark blue silk shirt. The Muggle clothing were Harry's, the only of the sort he had around that fit Severus slightly taller frame. All others had been too colourful for his taste and he regretted that he never had given Harry a black outfit for any of the special occasions they had celebrated.  
  
The young man had for some unintelligible reason been drawn to colourful clothing for his free time. 'I have to wear so much black during the day and the missions that I want some colour on me when I'm off duty.' Snape remembered the easy laugh that went with the explanation. After all that had happened to the younger man, he had never lost his humour, his open-mindedness and the will to make friends.  
  
He had sneaked an unsuspicious look on the lay out of the hospital and what room a certain "John" was occupying. John Doe. A simple spell would have told them the name. Muggles had to do everything so complicated. Severus never pretended to understand non-magical beings, but he could pose as one with the best of them.  
  
The door to the room was open and Severus carefully lurked around the corner. It was a habit that had saved his life – and that of others - on numerous occasions. John was standing at the window, looking out. He was alone. Snape sighed soundlessly, straightened and proceeded to walk into the room, gently rapping the open door.  
  
John jumped, whirled around and crouched into a defensive stance, his wand hand at the ready.  
  
Damn, he's fast and he doesn't even know what he just did. His face though, did not show any of his admiration; he had put up one of his masks on and retreated into the security of a role he had played for ages. Severus' conviction of this being Harry hardening after the display he had just seen.  
  
"Hello there." John relaxed when the newcomer did not do anything suspicious. He had been this jumpy since he had woken up from the coma. It was probably some sort of relict from what he liked to call his 'old life'. After more than 3 months of saying his memory would come back, they finally had told him the truth. That his brain had been damaged too severely to allow him to recover all the memories that he had lost. Still, some places sparked recognition. Some smells and sounds made him feel at home completely, while others repelled him.  
  
Snape stayed silent. Within him his emotions warred against each other. The wish to finally have Harry back, and the knowledge that it might not actually be the saviour of the wizarding world. He just took in the sight, the perfect match to his Harry. Eyes, timbre of voice, mouth, ears, hair-colour, form of face, height left no doubt in him that this was either Harry Potter or his twin brother. Finally having finished his mental inventory he nodded once. "Hello."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
He closed his eyes for just a second. "I'm someone from your past." Not knowing how much he remembered if anything at all, Severus had decided that he would not appear as a lost lover or friend, but as a co-worker only. The walk from Hogwarts to the outer rim of the protection zones was quite a long one and had given him the time to not only reach this conclusion, but to also scrape up the willpower to see it through to the end. "As one of your co-workers, the headmaster sent me to investigate if you are really our lost colleague or not." True enough. Not the whole truth, but he did not need that quite yet. If this man really was Harry Potter, he would get to know the whole story soon enough.  
  
"You know who I am?" John had taken a few steps closer, excitement showing clear on his face. "Really?"  
  
The Potion Master nodded gravely. "Indeed I do. But we should not talk here; maybe somewhere more private would be more adequate."  
  
"There is no privacy in a hospital."  
  
That sounded bitter and Snape could not help but think of Harry, who hated to be in the focus of public attention all the time and loved his privacy. "But I love you even more than privacy. Shaking his head viciously to repel any more thoughts of the past, he reprimanded himself for his wool-gathering. Stop it, Severus, you are only hurting yourself. Looking around the bare room the Potion Master noted that there were no personal items at all. "You will not stay here."  
  
"Not?"  
  
Shaking his head more slowly this time, Snape moved to John's side. "No." He gently pushed the younger man into a sitting position on the bed. "Close your eyes please." When the other had complied - he's way too trusting - Snape took out his wand. "Cognosco." The younger man's head snapped up at the single word, but he did not open his eyes. Maybe he did not remember anything, but unconsciously he seemed to trust Snape. The tip of his wand emitted a single strand of silvery light, slowly forming two words. Harry. Potter.  
  
Severus Snape released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. "Harry," he whispered.  
  
Green eyes snapped open and focused on him, questioning him.  
  
He suddenly found himself lost for words. For a year he had dreamed about something like this happening and now that it finally had, he felt like he was frozen. "I-"Nothing that was prudent to say came to his mind at the moment. "We need to bring you to the headmaster. He will be very glad we finally found you." He could not believe he had had that much trouble getting these two simple sentences out of his mouth. All his decisions of keeping their past relationship secret had almost jumped out of the window with those two silvery words.  
  
Looking at "tall dark and silent" – as John had dubbed him for the time being – he turned around and barely noticed the wooden stick in his right hand. It did not seem strange at all to him, even though he knew it was nothing normal. The man seemed to be lost for words, like he had not been thinking about what would happen once they were talking. There was also something soothing about the presence of the man, like he knew him. It was an oddly reassuring feeling for someone who had still troubles identifying himself in the mirror.  
  
He was being pulled to his feet before he even knew it and gently walked into the direction of the door. Suddenly he dug in his heels, determined to get some answers before he let himself be dragged off by a complete stranger. "Wait! Who am I?" On afterthought he added, "And what's your name? I can't very well call you 'hey you there', now can I?"  
  
"The name is Severus Snape, I would prefer it if you called me Severus." It was muttered without looking at him and the sentence sounded unfinished, like the speaker had decided not to say something while halfway through the sentence already. "And you are Harry Potter. We are both teachers at Hogwarts and everything else will be explained after our nurse has checked you through."  
  
He let himself be led out of the room, docilely accompanying his new friend. Harry. He repeated the name in his mind. "Harry Potter." Trying the name out it felt – so right. "Where is Hogwarts, Severus?"  
  
Severus did not answer; all he did was look around to see if anyone was coming and then pushing Harry into a small storage room. There was barely enough room for the two and Severus – a head taller than Harry – had to duck down a little in order to not topple over a tower of precariously stacked towels. The man pulled out an old, smelly sock with holes in it and held it out to Harry. "Please, take a hold of this and do not let go unless I tell you to."  
  
Dazed, Harry took the end of the sock between two of his fingers. Up to now he had not believed anything was strange, but he was starting to have second thoughts about the man. Is he crazy? He looked at the green and red striped sock and decided that in another five minutes he would get the hell out of this tiny storage room and call for security. This is ridiculous. Suddenly he felt a weird tug in his mid section, just before his surroundings started to disappear in a whirl of colours. He reappeared somewhere entirely else.  
  
"Hello, Harry. I can't express how glad I am that you are finally back."  
  
Whirling around as he heard the name that was supposedly his, he saw a tall, white bearded man in a nightgown. Why does this seem so oddly familiar? He looked around the room in awe, a little spooked when all the people on the pictures waved happily at him, a couple jumping up and down, dragging others into their picture frame or dancing.  
  
"I'm Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Welcome back home." There was a humorous twinkle in his eyes as he held out his right hand to shake Harry's.  
  
Utterly aware of still holding the colourful sock Harry dropped it like it was a red-hot coal, tentatively shaking Dumbledore's hand. "Did I hit my head and started hallucinating again?"  
  
Snape had positioned himself a step behind Dumbledore and Harry felt like the man was dressed completely out of character and should be more like a glooming, dark spectre. His head was swimming with all the new impressions and the amount of memories he had encountered that day.  
  
He barely noticed Dumbledore and Snape exchanging a quick, worried glance before he found himself between the two men. "I think this was quite a long day for you. We will go and see Poppy now and then you should get some sleep in the hospital wing."  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	4. Secrets

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Chapter 4 – Secrets  
  
They had hushed up the fact that Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts very well. No students were at school over the summer and that was the only reason it worked. Severus Snape was standing in front of the singular window in the teacher's lounge and stared out onto the Forbidden Forest with unseeing eyes.  
  
The last month had been hard on him. He should have been happy about having Harry back with him, but the happiness had never really come to him. The younger man had absolutely no memory of the Potion Master and while he was too proud to even confess to himself that it hurt him deeply, he stalked around the castle like a continuously bad tempered black cloud.  
  
In order to make it easier on Harry, they had given him a comfortable suit in the teacher's corridor, right next to Severus' rooms and had moved in all his things in, before he had been allowed to leave the hospital wing.  
  
Poppy had been horrified by the results of her tests. Sever memory loss that had no psychological but an actual physical source. Impossible to repair. She had not seen anything like that in years. "We can be glad he is not in the same condition as the Longbottoms. He could as well be in St. Mungo's now, just like they are. I don't know how he did it and how he managed to stay sane and 'only' lose his memories, but he did it. He does have some sort of flashbacks; smells and sounds bring back feelings, but nothing more. I seriously doubt he will ever regain the memories of the first 22 years of his life."  
  
"What on earth happened to you, Harry?" The pain in his voice shocked even Severus. He had always been in control; he had had to be when he was a spy in order to save his own hide. This sudden loss of self- discipline was worrying. Together with the fact that he was actually talking to himself he started to seriously doubt his sanity.  
  
"I don't know what happened, Severus."  
  
Almost jumping out of his skin Snape swirled around to face the very subject of his thoughts. His heart contracted painfully at the sight in front of him. He had tried to stay away from Harry over the last month, only seeing him at meal times that were spent with the other staff members in a kind of unofficial meeting. Even there he had always placed himself between Albus and Minerva, shunning any contact to Harry. All other times he locked himself into his dungeons, concentrating on his work. He had prepared the syllabus for next year's classes already, created about 50 new tests to torture his students with and started a new research project. "I was talking to myself."  
  
Harry smiled and came closer, standing next to Severus, mimicking his earlier position overlooking the Forbidden Forest. "Yes, I thought you were." He remained silent for a few heartbeats, as if expecting Snape to say something. "Why have you been evading me?"  
  
Turning around to face Harry he put an old mask on his face that he had dropped in the presence of his erstwhile lover long ago; he sneered at him. "What gives you the impression I haven't always evaded you?" Not waiting for an answer he strode out of the room, trying to shut out the memory of the expression on Harry's face. He had enough of the pain. He was sick of feeling like he wanted to curl up and never get out of bed again. If the price for getting his composure back was the new Harry hating him, so be it.  
  
Alienating the man he had searched and longed for more than a year now was of course such a good idea, as the little voice in his head wouldn't stop assuring him. Studiously ignoring the sarcastic, treacherous little thing he forced himself to think of the potion that was simmering away in his private laboratory.  
  
Harry looked at the door completely flabbergasted. "Damn." From the last few times he had met Severus he had been under the impression that they were friends. Not so much by what had been said but by what had not been said and the way it had been said. In the hospital the man had almost seemed afraid to find out who he was.  
  
At mealtimes the other man sometimes looked at him with a lost expression on his face, that it made Harry rather uncomfortable. He had always tried to ignore it as well as the compassionate looks the other staff members had given Severus. It was maddening. Everyone knew more about Harry than he himself.  
  
And now the only person he trusted enough to ask for reasons almost jumped at his throat when he had tried to get some answers. Straightening he decided he would go to the headmaster. Albus Dumbledore was a good man; he knew that without knowing more about him than his name. Still. Every time the other man offered him tea he had felt like it was just plain wrong to accept it.  
  
Shrugging away his weird feelings he decided to use his short break to visit the headmaster. He had never turned him away in the past month when he had had questions.  
  
He had re-learned a lot of things in the last month. Every member of the staff but Severus Snape had been giving him private lessons to bring back lost abilities. Dumbledore – he still had troubles calling the older man Albus, like he had asked him to do – himself had taught him in Defence Against the Dark Arts.  
  
Thoughts still in disarray, his feet found their way to the headmaster's office of their own volition. "Why does the man have to make everything so difficult?" Harry had tried to talk to Severus for days now. There was something between them since the day they had met up in hospital.  
  
He did not need the password he realised; the stair was already leading up to the office. His condition was not the best. The 9 months he had spent in coma had taken its toll on his body. His legs were weak, as were his arms, barely able to pick up a full half a litre glass of water.  
  
When he finally stood in front of the closed office door he was gasping for air, sweat was running down his face and his hands were shaking.  
  
"Albus, I cannot stay here."  
  
Severus voice shook Harry out of his exhausted state enough to listen intently. He was leaving?  
  
"Why not, Severus, I thought you enjoyed teaching the children the art of potions?" Albus voice was completely calm, like they were discussing the weather and not one of his teacher's leaving.  
  
"I cannot stay with him here, it hurts too much."  
  
Him? Who was Severus talking about? There had been no one new at Hogwarts since Harry himself had joined. "Bastard." His strength regained by rage, he stormed into the office. "You bastard," he hissed and zeroed in on Severus, who was looking at him with an unguarded expression of shock. Pushing the Potion Master against the closest wall, Harry discovered energy reserves he had been unaware of having. "How dare you just leave? You promised you wouldn't!"  
  
"Harry?" Severus croaked the name questioningly and a bit dazed.  
  
"You promised not to just go, you promised to stay." Abruptly he turned away, walking to the door, tears streaming down his cheeks. His vision blurred not only with tears, but with pain as well. His hands came up to his forehead and he went to his knees.  
  
"Get Poppy, Fawkes! Hurry." Harry did not notice Severus kneeling next to him and Albus hovering worriedly close to the two. His world was thrust into pain and that was all he took notice of at the moment.  
  
Then the world went blissfully black and the pain dimmed to the throbbing ache that he was used to.  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	5. Truths

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Chapter 5 - Truths  
  
Holding onto the hand of an unconscious Harry Potter, Severus did not know what to do. Poppy was at her wits end. She had said that whatever happened had nothing to do with the injuries to the young DADA teacher's brain.  
  
"Why do I feel like all this is connected to the night he defeated Voldemort?" Dumbledore's thoughtful remark was only underlined by Harry's slow breathing. They had deigned it best to bring him to his rooms instead of the hospital wing, as there was nothing Poppy could do. The young DADA teacher had not stirred since he had collapsed two days ago and they had to magically sustain him.  
  
Rubbing his burning eyes Severus nodded. "Yes, I agree. We never found Ron and Hermione Weasley's bodies either. What if the same thing happened to them?"  
  
Dumbledore sat down in one of the easy chairs by the fireplace and thought about that for a while. "You missed that part, Severus, but we did find their bodies after hours of searching. The three of them were thankfully the only ones missing. After seeing the state they were in we believed Harry might have fallen to the same deadly spell." Lowering his gaze to the lush carpet he sighed heavily, "As you see, we were wrong. But you never gave up the search and the hope. Why not?"  
  
Intent on Harry resting in a comfortable way Severus never looked away from him. "There was no body. If Voldemort had killed him there certainly would have been one, he would have wanted me to suffer for my betrayal."  
  
"How right you are, traitor!"  
  
Jumping up the two of them drew their wands in an astonishing speed, looking at the unmoving figure of Harry Potter. He was still out cold but his mouth had moved in accord to the words. "How on..." Lost for words Dumbledore carefully came closer to the bed again.  
  
"For reasons unknown to me, my deadlier spells never worked on this brat. But there is nothing you can do about me, without killing your precious Harry Potter now." Eerie laughter sounded through the room.  
  
"Merlin," Severus breathed then did the identification spell on the sleeping figure. It still said Harry Potter but the writing was more vague, like the spell was not quite sure.  
  
At hearing the voice, Dumbledore's demeanour had changed from lovable, old, eccentric headmaster to deadly wizard. "You think Harry would want to live, knowing that you are hiding out in him?" Voice cold as ice he held his wand at the ready. He had the suspicion that Voldemort could only speak through Harry when he was unconscious and was more or less only a passenger. Not about to try this hypothesis, he did not intent to lower his guard anytime soon. In the corner of his eye he saw Severus tense at his words. "You will never leave Hogwarts alive, Voldemort." At that he turned around, motioned Severus to follow him and cast a spell on the room that would allow him to not only look into it from afar but also would alarm him as soon as someone or something moved. It had been too easy.  
  
Severus was stunned. His thoughts were racing and he could not seem to string them together into anything remotely understandable. Harry was still alive. So was Voldemort.  
  
He had seen the look on Dumbledore's face. The coldness he knew was directed solely at Lord Voldemort. The hatred between those two powerful wizards was almost palpable when they were in the same room. Severus himself did not have that kind of emotion left at the moment. The last month – no, the last year had drained everything out of him save for pain and loneliness. He feared that, if this went on a little longer, there would be nothing left of him to enjoy a safe and long future.  
  
Nothing meant anything to him. No one was waiting for him. His family was either dead or had turned their backs to him, turned him out or exiled him. Some had done so because he had betrayed Voldemort, others because he had pretended to be a Death Eater. It seemed he could make no one happy. Not even himself.  
  
His thoughts were focussed on Harry and what would probably be happening now. Voldemort could not be allowed to live.  
  
Fervently wishing he had been there that fateful day when Harry, Hermione and Ron had run off the battlefield to corner Voldemort, he could do nothing more than sink down into the overstuffed armchair Dumbledore pointed at and accept the tea he pressed into his right hand. His left was still clutching his wand. The large mug was not even filled half, and with good reason as Severus was shaking severely.  
  
"It is okay, my boy. Drink your tea and then we will see if we can come up with anything." Gentle hands removed the wand from unresisting fingers and put a plate with some kind of cake into it.  
  
Severus just stared at the two items. "How can it be okay? It couldn't be any worse, Albus." It seemed to be an exercise in futility. "Next to going back and chaining Harry to his chair before he goes into that fruitless battle, there is nothing we can do to stop all this from happening."  
  
Stopping in the middle of stirring his tea Albus suddenly froze. "What an interesting idea." He put down his cup and practically jumped up. "Splendid! Going back in time, yes, that would definitely be the way to dispose of our problems."  
  
"Albus, you know as well as I do, that time travelling is prohibited by the Ministry of Magic. It is too dangerous. Think about the cascade effect." He had answered out of habit alone; inside, his mind was already in turmoil with the possibilities.  
  
A crafty smile appeared on Albus face as he turned to look at Snape. "I invented the cascade effect, Severus. The Minister of Magic needed someone to dissuade everyone from using the via tempus spell. They keep a very tight reign on time turners as well, the Ministry is way too afraid of changes to act any differently and rightly so. If every talented witch and wizard would go back to change something in their past everything would change suddenly every minute. Not that anyone would remember that it changed, but that is beside the point now, is it?"  
  
Via tempus. One of the supposedly most dangerous spells out there. Not only for the person using it, no, for the whole time structure. Or so Snape had thought. The statement of this spell being restricted from use was solely based on the ingenious cascade effect theory that was said to have been tested with horrifying outcomes. "You made all that up?" There was a note of desperation in his voice even to his own ears.  
  
Dumbledore nodded and the twinkle in his eyes grew stronger. "I thought if I complied with their wishes it might come to our aid at some point in the war. Honestly, I doubt anyone in the Ministry still remembers this particular hoax. The thought of the pain received during travelling alone should be enough to keep the normal witches and wizards from trying at any point. And a Dark Wizard would neither mind the pain, nor the cascade effect very much, I am surprised no-one attempted a time travel yet."  
  
Finally taking a sip from his tea Severus smiled. A plan. At long last they had a plan. "I will do it gladly, Albus." For a second the thoughts of the reports about the time travel spell shot through his mind but there was no other choice.  
  
"And I shall be your anchor in the present." His eyes were still twinkling but his demeanour had grown steely again. "Voldemort will have no chance out of this. No loophole to survive this time. We need to research. We need to plan. Start working Severus."  
  
It was a plain dismissal, a call to arms that Snape followed only too gladly. "Yes, headmaster." He stood, put down his untouched cake and a half-drunk cup of unidentified tea and hurried towards the door.  
  
"Get some sleep first; we will need your sharp mind, unclouded and awake." It had not been a fatherly advice his voice implied an order.  
  
"Yes, headmaster." There was no other answer, even though sleep would not come easy this night. Hurrying out before Dumbledore could hand out more orders he retreated into his private chambers, crawling into bed without bothering to undress. His mind had shut down once he had left the office. "Maybe going to sleep hadn't been such a bad thing," he mumbled to himself a moment before he drifted off into oblivion.  
  
He found himself standing on a giant chessboard on the top of a pedestal, looking over the Quidditch-sized field displayed below him. A dark figure loomed up in front of him, his black chessmen neatly on their places in front of the dark player.  
  
Only then did Snape realise the Pawns in front of him were wearing a bright white uniform. Fearing what he would see he turned around and surely enough a giant dazzling white figure hovered imposingly above him. As his eyes adjusted to the light he could make out Dumbledore twinkling down at him in a rather good-natured way.  
  
"By Merlin." Snape had invoked the name of the great ancient wizard too often for his taste in the last months. Looking to his left Snape drew a startled breath in. Harry Potter stood on a slightly higher pedestal, a white crown on his head. Reaching up Snape felt a similar adornment on his head. He could barely make out the red headed Ronald Weasley at Harry's left side. A Bishop. With a short glance to his right he saw Hermione Weasley, grinning impishly up at him, a hand resting on her swollen belly.  
  
Snape felt numb. She looked exactly like she had when they had met before the final battle, insisting she was not sick, merely pregnant in the second trimester and would not be left behind like an invalid.  
  
Even though Snape had never allowed himself to admit it while he had still been forced to uphold his reputation as a spy, but Hermione was one of their greatest minds. She had had the potential to become one of the best.  
  
He saw Moody wave at him from behind Hermione, from his place as a Rook, his good eye focussed on him while his magical one contemplated their enemy. Unable to see the faces of the Pawns he was still very sure he would encounter more familiar faces.  
  
"I'm dreaming! Come on, Severus, wake up." He almost fell off the pedestal when a hand touched his shoulder.  
  
Harry's smile was beatific as he sat at the edge of his own place at the foot of his throne, his feet dangling down and his brilliant green eyes focussed on Snape. "It's okay, Severus, it's just a dream. Whatever happens isn't real and when you wake up, you go and give our mutual friend a kick in the ass." It was clear he meant Voldemort by the inflection on the word "friend".  
  
To see Harry like this, happy, careless and about to go into battle was like a punch in the face. It was like his life had spiralled completely out of control in the past year. A weaker man would have broken down long ago and jumped out of one of the towers.  
  
Winking at Snape Harry got up and faced the enemy again. The tension on the chessboard was the same that had been there at the time of their final meeting before the battle.  
  
His surroundings started to distort and Snape felt the barest hint of panic. "How exactly do you plan on defeating Voldemort, Harry?" The words he had thrown at Harry in privacy, before the meeting. "He is very powerful, and the two of you have a connection. Merlin knows what happens when you cross wands with him again."  
  
Their rooms materialised around them, Harry facing him with determination on his face. "I don't know yet, but I'm sure Hermione, Ron and I will be able to come up with something like we always do. He has to be stopped, once and forever." He smiled serenely at him. "Don't worry, Severus, we will be fine once we're together again. I wish the two of them could get free of their duties to visit me more often. I'm practically a prisoner at Hogwarts between you and Albus. Everything will be fine Severus."  
  
Inwardly screaming at himself to stop Harry from going out, to chain the younger man to one of the chairs and not let him leave the rooms, he still heard himself saying, "Promise me to come back." The desperation in his voice filled him with renewed panic.  
  
"Only if you promise not to leave." There was that impish, charming smile on Harry's face that he reserved solely to torment Snape. It was a promise he had asked him to make countless times, obviously afraid the older man would start running away once the younger one turned his back. A fear that was justified. Harry had pursued him for a year before he gave in to the attraction between them. "I've never met a person more skittish and evasive than you, Severus Snape." If he had not only been a passenger in this dream sequence, Severus would have laughed. He remembered very well just how capricious he had been at the time. How afraid of letting anyone close.  
  
"I promise." What other answer had there been?  
  
He sat up in bed, the vestiges of his dreams still in his mind. The chess game was new, all the other bits and pieces he had dreamed of before. His mind seemed to relish in showing him his worst days over and over again. One day his dreams had featured a lot of times, was the day he had received the Dark Mark. An almost eidetic memory had its disadvantages. Remembering word for word, gesture for gesture and glance for glance what had happened years ago was one of them. Unable to forget the bad times - only with the help of a Pensieve – but also able to recall all the good times with a fascinating clearness.  
  
Forgetting something was horrible for Snape and so he very rarely used the Pensieve, preferring to live with the bad memories as well as the good ones. It had been his misfortune that a younger Harry had once stumbled upon his Pensieve while it was still holding memories. Sometimes, it was not that bad to forget.  
  
Rubbing a hand over a weary face, he recalled the chess-field. Dumbledore against Voldemort, Harry as the King. Just why his unconscious had cast him in the role of the Queen he had no idea. The thought was somewhat distasteful and undignified to him. He felt weak with lack of sleep but still forced his body to crawl to the rim of the king-sized bed from where he could easily slide to his feet. He more staggered than walked into the bathroom, heavily leaning onto the washbasin.  
  
"You look like death warmed over."  
  
He did not deign to answer the mirror. I should try and get a less chatty bathroom-mirror at one point. This one is going to drive me nuts. Although – it did have a point. He looked horrible.  
  
Deciding to take a long, relaxing, hot shower he peeled off his slept- in clothes and cast them aside into the laundry basket with a negligent throw. The house-elves insisted he keep one, and if it made their job easier Snape was not about to differ.  
  
Standing under the spray of almost unbearably hot water, he leaned his head against the cold wall. He tried to force his mind not to think, but could not manage to stop the flow of thoughts buzzing around. Instead he decided to guide them into the right direction. Voldemort's demise. Losing the famous Harry Potter had been a hit to the wizarding community that they had not recovered from yet. While Hermione and Ron had not been as vital in their roles, the University Hermione had attended had suffered from the loss of their brightest assistant. Ron had been quieter than his wife, but the hole he had left in the Auror's section of the Ministry of Magic was not a small one either.  
  
How could Snape accomplish saving all three of them? He had no idea. But he had to, somehow.  
  
Then suddenly a flash of insight hit him. He did not have to do this all by himself. All he had to do was go to the past and come up with something, together with Harry and his two best friends. They had proved time and time again how resourceful they were. Maybe all they needed was time and someone like Severus to make them think of different possibilities. Things they had not thought of before the fight.  
  
Smiling for the first time in days he hastily dried himself off and dressed in fresh clothes. His hair was still wet when he stormed into Dumbledore's office. The headmaster was still at his desk, reading an ancient book. Probably looking the Tempus Via spell up. "Albus! I have an idea. It is extremely unusual and you might not like it the least, but I think it's the only possible way."  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	6. Repairing the Damage

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews, I feel humbled. 

HoofsTails Gal, Tazthedevilman, Angels Whisper, Pure Black, Amour-Lily, EWsWife2Be, Destin, Chronicles Bailey, Destiny-TWoP, hermoine21, SailorBaby16, Snapecharmer, Amanda, hermoine21, barbarataku, Mikee, Cat 323, FrenchDressing, Nimohthar, Aelita-Fan-426, Elizabeth Aiken and hots4harry73, thanks for your reviews, it means a lot to me that you seem to enjoy the story.  
barbarataku: I definitely do plan to finish this story. After all it is a birthday present to my sister and she would be sad if I didn't. She also would not give me the story she is writing for my birthday! :)  
the roller disco queen: I'm glad you like it, especially because this is nothing you would usually read. Thanks for your review!  
dococks girl: I hope the relationship between the two was explained to your satisfaction, if not you can always e-mail me or leave me a message via capierson at   
Crissy Potter: I've never read a story that used a chess game like this, but I thought to myself that chess would be a game for Severus and that it would probably suit his mindset very well. Also, I had all this written up, so I cannot fulfil any chapter length requests LOL. Not that I could, sometimes the words come and sometimes they just don't.  
Chronicles Bailey: I'm very glad that you like the plot and I'm thankful that you took the time to review even though you dislike the pairing. As for the age difference: Harry is of age in all my stories and I believe that wizards have a far longer life-span than Muggles have :).

Jemma Blackwell: DD? Sorry but I have no clue who or what DD is :).  
Bat the Wood Elf: Thanks. And yes, reviews ARE quite frustrating at some times. What I find most frustrating is, that there is no way to easily answer them. Thanks again and enjoy the read!  
silent as a shadow: Thanks so much for your review. The requirements I was given for this story made it incredibly easy to write it up to now :) and all these wonderful reviews help too!

* * *

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Chapter 6 – Repairing the Damage  
  
Standing in a clearing of the Forbidden Forest, Severus looked at Albus with a calm clarity he had not felt for a long time. The pain that had been his steady companion since the last battle was gone for now and the prospect of seeing a Harry who actually remembered him, delighted him.  
  
At a hand-sign of Albus they both started chanting. The Tempus Vita spell was a complicated one. A single mistake could wipe out an entire village. The spell had to be performed by two wizards; it connected them to one another for the duration of the spell. The one staying behind would function as an anchor, a lifeline to the present. The special thing about the tempus vita was, that the travelling wizard or witch would not appear in the past twice, they occupied only one body, the past mind being suppressed, but aware of what was happening. After the traveller had gone back to their own time the occupied wizard would view all actions like they had done everything themselves.  
  
Any changes would be incorporated into the time flow and, once the traveller returned and the two participating wizards left the protective time bubble, they would be embraced by the new timeline and forget everything else. This was the danger with the whole concept. You could never foresee if changes made in a distant past would not accumulate over time and hit the present time, like an avalanche hit a mountain village. The small truth to the cascade effect was, that some of the changes were erratic, but the postulate of a destruction of the whole universe was – as Albus put it – the smallest bit of an exaggeration. He had worn the expression of a mischievous schoolboy when he had pointed that out and Severus had had severe problems suppressing a smile.  
  
Both Snape and Dumbledore had spent the past week practising the spell and collecting all the ingredients needed for the potions. They had chosen a secluded place in the Forbidden Forest for the spell; aware of the consequences to themselves and to Hogwarts should they be unable to pull it off without complications.  
  
They felt the power around them like a lighting storm, the protective time bubble had already been established, and it was nothing but an uneven, billowing sphere around them. Ten metres in diameter it encircled the clearing and immersed the darkness into a light blue shimmer. It misplaced them for the duration of the spell, protecting the anchor by putting him out of time itself.  
  
Snape could feel the effects of the spell before they even finished the first incantation. Light-headedness engulfed him and he felt a tug on his whole body. Nothing at all like a Portkey but eerily similar at the same time. While the Portkey seemed to start it's pull in the vicinity of his belly; the spell pulled every cell of his body at the same time and it felt like it pulled them into different directions as well. Not exactly painful it still was an unaccustomed sensation. Every part of his body prickled and itched but he was unable to move. The only thing he could do was continuing with the incantation, following Dumbledore's lead and flowing along in the almost trancelike condition the spell had put them both in.  
  
The blue of the sphere grew more intense with every stanza they intoned. Suddenly the prickling grew unbearable and Snape felt like he was torn apart by a power far greater than he had ever encountered. His part of the spell was done at any rate and he could allow himself to drift into the sea of pain that he had been pushed into. Not hearing his own screams of pain the spell finally catapulted him back in time.

* * *

Coming to Snape realised he was in the middle of a potions class. The children were looking at him with big eyes and seemed scared out of their minds. His thought processes were working only very slowly, the after-effects of the incredible pain; but he felt the cool stonewall of the dungeons in his back, his hands raised to his face as if trying to protect himself from something unbearable. Damn. His knees felt weak and he was not sure how long he would still be able to keep upright. "Class dismissed." His voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper. No wonder that the children were frightened; he must have screamed like he was ripped apart. Which – in a way – he had been.  
  
The children did not move an inch. "I said: class dismissed." The ice in his voice and the promise of detention - if they did not comply immediately - that was transported by his patented glare, got them going faster than he had expected. They filed out as docilely as he was used to, just faster. Sliding down the wall when the door closed, Snape unclenched his hands, acknowledging the shaking for a second, before he clutched at his knees, leaning his head back. He allowed himself to breathe deeply, letting the last vestiges of pain drain out of him.  
  
Even knowing what would happen had not prepared him for the level of agony. Not even the Cruciatus came close to this; and he had been subjected to that curse more times than he cared to count. Even having known about the pain had not made it more bearable. The only thing he drew a small comfort of was, that he would no longer need to wonder why so many wizards attempting this spell went mad in the process.  
  
"Severus?"  
  
He looked up, but not even if someone had threatened to kill him he would have been able to get up off the ground, never mind aiming a wand at them without missing a target as big as the huge entrance door of Hogwarts. Harry was standing in front of him, a very worried expression on his face and his wand at the ready. "I am fine." He did not dare use his first name. The spell might have gone awry. Most of the targeting was left to the wizard that was supposed to do the travelling. The excruciating pain made it hard to do so and in the experiments this had often led to aiming at the wrong time.  
  
Within a moment Harry's whole bearing changed, his ready-for-battle stance grew into one that screamed 'are you kidding'. Arms crossed in front of him and right foot tapping impatiently he snorted. "Fine? Severus, the children came running to me, saying you were in pain and sent them out 5 minutes into the class. Fine?"  
  
"I would like to know about that as well, my boy."  
  
Damn. Dumbledore had joined Harry, but he looked more relaxed and less ready to throttle the Potion Master. There was a set expression on both faces and Severus knew without doubt he had to think fast.  
  
"It is nothing." He forced himself to get up and stop shaking, even though this was the hardest thing he had done in his whole life. His body was running on pure willpower and there was no doubt he would collapse once he was alone. Just a little longer. He just had to do this a few minutes more and he could crawl into a corner and recuperate. "The children are easily spooked." Cursing himself for not paying closer attention to the faces of the students, he made good of his escape when he reached the door. He barely heard the two men he left discuss what had just happened. Both of them knew him too well not to look through his ruse if he gave them enough time to dwell on it. But right now he did not have the energy to do anything.  
  
Only the fact that he did not need to pay any attention to where he was going brought him to the right door. Severus Snape had taught so many years at Hogwarts that his feet knew the right way all by themselves. It was beyond him how he managed to still glare at any student crossing his way, but once he slid down the stone wall in one of the corners of his living room, he felt relief wash over him.  
  
This part of the suite he lived in looked like it always had. At least as far as he could tell. Harry had never changed anything in the living room. No photos, mementos, new furniture, nothing. He had pretty much taken over all the other rooms at one point or another, but left the living room like it had been.  
  
He had claimed that he liked it how it was and had just given him a patient look if the question came up again. Like he expected Snape to find out for himself.  
  
Head leaning against the cold stone wall Snape put together his priority list. One, find out what time it was. Two, continue as normal as possible in whichever time he was now in.  
  
The only clue to number one was the way the children had alarmed not only Albus, but Harry too. He was obviously already DADA teacher at Hogwarts. Hence the earliest it could be was 3 years ago.  
  
An expression of utmost concentration on his face, Severus Snape used a nearby table to heave himself upright and struggled along the wall into the next room.  
  
Instead of the Gryffindor colours he had expected, the kitchen was as it had been for years before Harry had ever set foot into Hogwarts. It was a relatively large room, empty but for a small table. Snape had never seen the reason to have his own kitchen when the house elves were more than happy to bring him a snack or a meal whenever he required it.  
  
Now he missed the cosy kitchenette Harry had brought in. He already dreaded the way the rest of the flat was going to look like. Before Harry, most of the apartment had been bare bones. Functional but not personal at all.  
  
More stumbling than walking through the doorway to the bedroom he peeled himself out of his robes. They were wet with sweat and clung uncomfortably to his skin. Unlike usually, he just dropped them in front of the bed and crawled in. As soon as his head hit the pillow he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

A loud banging against the door to his apartment woke Snape up, startling him into jumping up. His surroundings unsettled him for just a moment when the events from the day before rushed back into his conscience. "Merlin." He scrambled to the wardrobe, grabbed a fresh robe and pulled it on while he was already on his way. Making sure he was decent he opened the door just when Harry Potter was about to knock again.  
  
"What do you want."  
  
Harry stared at him for a second in disbelief then schooled his face into an expression of disapproval. "Let me see, you run out of the first class of the day, then you don't turn up to all your other classes, lunch and dinner. You don't answer your fire and Albus' attempts to talk to you don't work either." He was tapping his foot again and definitely irritated.  
  
"Look, it's none of your business." He was relieved at the lack of bitterness in his voice. The problem was that he had not really meant this, he did want it to be Harry's problem.  
  
"You are a teacher of the same institution as I am. It is my business if you are unable to pursue your work adequately." Harry's voice was devoid of emotion. He was wearing the same face that he always wore when he did not want anyone to find out what he was thinking. "You have no right to jeopardize the school and you going off the bend would certainly not be the right picture we want to present the parents."  
  
Feeling his calmness running through his fingers like sand he glared at the impertinent younger man. "I believe you are using the wrong language to address me, Professor Potter." Anger practically seared through his veins. He had forgotten how his Harry had the gift to enrage him with a simple sentence or glance only. "And before you think that your opinion means anything to me, let me inform you of a fact. You are not the headmaster. If anyone has the right to reprimand me for being lax in my duties it is Albus and not an upstart like you." Even in his livid state he could not believe he had actually voiced that out loud. The point at which he could have apologised with grace had been passed and there was no way to turn back now.  
  
Harry's face was expressionless, but his eyes were burning holes into his counterpart. "I do not think you have any idea what you are talking about, Severus. After the talk we had a week ago I presumed we were having something akin to a partnership. If I was mistaken, I'm profoundly sorry. But behaving like an eleven-year old just to prove a point that is not even worth proving is so far below you that I did not expect anything that cold-blooded or below the belt from you. I don't think I want to see you tomorrow for dinner anymore, Professor Snape. Consider the invitation nullified. Don't dare to show your face."  
  
Standing in the doorway, his robes uncomfortable on his naked skin Snape stared after the man he had missed for over a year and realised that he had just lost him before he actually had him.

* * *

Frustrated Severus Snape banged the door to the potions classroom. For two weeks he had now tried to make amends. Fifteen days to be scrupulously honest. Nothing had helped. He had even tried to say 'sorry' to Harry but the other teacher had just nodded once and then he had turned to leave.  
  
Snape felt like an idiot. The dinner they had shared that evening had been the start of a year of courtship on Harry's side. No matter what he had done, Harry had not allowed him to dissuade him from his goal. Now it seemed that Snape had destroyed any hopes to have the relationship they had shared in his memory. And even that would be forgotten once he left the protective time bubble the spell had created.  
  
Sitting at his desk in the potions classroom Snape had put his head onto the wood. It ached from the problems he had created himself and the problems he had come to eliminate. It was late in the evening, but his students had handed in essays that day. He did not feel like sleeping anyway. Or eating. Stalking through the castle he had caught the phrase 'demented bat' quite a few times. Normally he would have made the lives of the pupils hell, but he did not feel like it. For a week he wanted nothing more than to crawl to bed, curl up in a tight ball and stay there until the end of the school year.  
  
"Severus?"  
  
Inwardly groaning Snape looked up to see Dumbledore in front of the table. He had not even noticed the headmaster enter. It was more than a little disturbing.  
  
"Severus, my boy, are you sure you are alright?" Concern was clearly visible in Dumbledore's face.  
  
For a second Snape thought about denying that he was unwell and sending the man off without the answers he was clearly searching for. "No, Albus, I am anything but 'alright'." He let his head sink back down on the table and closed his eyes in misery. "I managed to destroy everything. Nothing is going to be like it is supposed to be."  
  
"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me what happened." The headmaster picked a chair in the front row and sat down while watching his Potion Master with a slight twinkling in his eyes.  
  
Pondering his options Severus decided that he would have to do this at one point anyway. Time was starting to run through his fingers. "I said something to Harry that was not exactly the nicest thing to say."  
  
"You have been acting strange lately, Severus, and you aren't telling me everything. I believe I could be able to help you, if you just choose to be honest to me and give me all the information I need."  
  
Sighing Severus raised his head once again and regarded the headmaster with a tired look. Looking at all the problems ahead of them he knew there was no other way but trusting Albus to help him as he always had done. "I am not the Severus Snape you think I am, Albus. 3 years into the future I will use the Tempus Vita spell to return to the past to fix what went wrong. You are my anchor in the future."  
  
Albus face turned serious, but he remained silent as he regarded Snape, probably trying to find a difference to the Severus Snape he knew. After a lengthy silence he nodded to prompt Snape to continue with his story.  
  
"We are in dire need of any help we can get. While we won the battle we seem to be unable to win the war. Not only are the Death Eaters posing an ever growing threat now that they believe Voldemort to be dead and buried, we found out that the Dark Lord is not completely banished. Something went badly wrong when Harry fought him." Watching his old friend and mentor closely Snape noted a slight stiffening of his back at the mention of their nemesis. "Death Eater activity went up 500%, Muggles in the wizarding world and Wizards of mixed heritage started vanishing a year ago. The death-rate went through the roof, some old bloodlines are dying out and the ministry is completely helpless." He paused and got up to pace the room, gathering his thoughts.  
  
"You are under a bit of a time pressure while you are here." Albus' voice was calm, but his gaze was like steel. "How much time do you have left, Severus?"  
  
Coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the room he had taught dozens of students in Severus swirled around to face Albus. "Not nearly enough to accomplish what you asked of me. Three more months before I have to return to my time."  
  
Albus got up to put a hand on Severus shoulder, "You should have told me all this earlier. You know I would have done everything in my power to help you. What is it you have been sent to change?"  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	7. Beware the Plants

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.   
  
Chapter 7 – Beware the Plants 

"You can't do that!"

Albus looked seriously at Harry Potter and calmly regarded the agitated younger man, who was now pacing the length of the headmaster's office. "This is important, Harry, as you know. I want the two most powerful wizards of the Order on it."

Harry stopped in mid-stride and pointed to the silent figure still seated on the second chair in front of the desktop. "But with him? Professor Snape and I are not known for our team-work. I feel that it would be better if we were not teamed up for any purpose." After his calm statement he sat back down on his chair heavily.

"I understand you, but I fear there's nothing to do about it. You and Severus are going to work together on this and you will leave as soon as possible. Try to lose no bodily-parts, will you? I know, this ingredient is highly important for your potion, Severus, but we need you both unharmed and in one piece, understood? ." Albus stood up and turned to Fawkes, stroking the Phoenix softly. He might as well have told them that they were dismissed.

If Severus had not known that Albus was helping him - and probably bursting with mirth - he would have been scared by the sudden mood changes. A minute before Harry had arrived, Albus had been in full possession of his warped sense of humour, offered him a lemon drop and some tea and tried to persuade him to play a game of Exploding Snap. Albus was a better actor than Severus had ever given him credit for.

He looked over to Harry, who was still slumped in his chair. Knowing Harry, he was pondering which deity he had pissed off to be forced through this nightmare. Suppressing a chuckle, Severus looked at said deity, sending Albus silent thanks. "Yes headmaster, I will be packed in half an hour." It was the first thing he had said since Harry had arrived.

With one fluent movement he got up and was already on his way to the door, before his words had registered with the other two occupants. Once he had reached the corridor safely, he let out a short chuckle. Things had gone incredible well. Albus had done more than he had promised. He had not only given Snape a chance to talk to Harry, he would also be alone with the man while talking.

Catching himself humming a tune he forced his features into a scowl and stalked on, banishing the music out of his head.

Snape had no idea of what to say, but he was reasonably sure that something would come to him at the appropriate point of the expedition. He himself had proposed to mix the highly volatile potion Albus had mentioned to Harry. It was definitely something that might tip the scales in their favour. And if it did not help as much as he and Albus hoped, then it would definitely not hurt.

Not even a day after he had told Albus everything – or almost everything – several possible solutions for their future problems had been put into motion. By the end of the next week Ronald Weasley would be stationed at Hogwarts, as a personal favour from the Ministry of Magic, to the headmaster. When Hermione's professor heard, that Severus Snape had offered her to join him on a research project he had just started, he had excused her and sent her packing straight away.

Both of them would be back at Hogwarts soon and that calmed Snape quite a lot. The two conspirators – Albus had coined the term with the most mischievous twinkling in his eyes, Snape had ever seen – had been convinced that the battle would have ended another way, if Harry, Hermione and Ron had been able to actually plan more. Make that plan at all.

Grabbing his pre-packed pack, Snape shrunk it to a manageable size and put it into one of the numerous pockets of his robes. He then paced his living room. "Severus, calm down", he muttered to himself. Since his NEWT's he had not been this nervous. Not even when he had received the Dark Mark. If he could not patch things up today, he might have changed that aspect of their common future and he might still end up losing Harry.

He grimaced, then ceased his pacing and just stared into nothing. Gathering all his willpower and courage, together he turned around in a sudden movement, making his way to the door swiftly and headed for the main entrance. "No time like now to find out." He felt the spell tugging at him uncomfortably. He still had some time left. Not much, but hopefully enough. The nervousness dissipated and purposefulness took its place.

Everything would go well, he was certain everything would go well.

Harry had not arrived at the entrance hall when Snape reached their meeting place. Standing there like he was lost for only a moment, he proceeded his agitated pacing. While his thoughts had been focussed on what to say and how to act around Harry Potter, Severus had completely forgotten to think about the dangers of the task lying ahead of them.

Dumbledore himself had talked to the Dwarves and asked for permission to enter one of their old mines. The plant they were searching for was elusive and dangerous. It was a solanaceous herb that had been bred from the common matricaria chamomilla. The Dwarves had adapted it to their realm as one of the few plants they had ever been interested in for it's healing properties. In order for it to endure the sun-less environment, extensive changes had been wrought on the herb, modifying the abilities and uses of the plant.

Under normal circumstances a composite plant like the matricaria chamomilla would not have been able to survive in the depth of the earth. Several generations of Dwarves had finally bred what they now called the blood-camomile. Early on in the evolutionary process, the plant had undergone, it had contracted a mushroom. Inocybe patouillardi, a poisonous mushroom, native to East Anatolia, had found it's way to the Dwarven city because of its brick red colour. Only with the help of this fungi – that had been brought home by a Dwarf who had forgotten his wedding-day for the 6th time in a row and was desperate to sooth his rather temperamental wife – the camomile had been able to survive. As had the mushroom, whose usual habitats were hills, lawns and mixed forests and who had almost no chance to survive in the sun-deprived home of the Dwarves.

Severus Snape and Dumbledore had spent hours in a closed conference with Professor Sprout in order to determine where the blood-camomile was most likely to grow.

Nowadays Dwarves tried to stay well away from the blood-red plant they had created themselves. It had seemed to develop a taste for Dwarves after a few centuries, especially fingers and noses.

A carefully phrased question if they could have one of these plants had been answered violently by the current leader of the Dwarves. It had taken Dumbledore hours just to re-open talks and only five minutes for them to agree to allow two wizards into the old part of their city. It had been hermetically sealed since the biggest blood-camomile had tried to eat the baby of its owner and preceded to bite off the ear of the distraught mother, poisoning her in the process.

When Harry Potter and Severus Snape set out for the grand city of the Dwarves early that morning, they had no idea what to expect. The Dwarves – wary of outsiders since Voldemort's reign of terror – had hidden themselves away with their own special kind of magic. They had always been an uncommunicative nation, preferring to keep to themselves and digging for ores and gemstones in peace. They only met with wizards when they traded, and only with those they deemed trustworthy.

In a way, it was exciting to meet some of them, but Snape was worried about how they would go about getting enough pollen off the violent plants without losing a finger or two. Further, Sprout had asked him to bring seeds or a seedling for her to grow some. He had seen the shine in her eyes at the prospect of being the first witch ever to add this very rare plant to her collection. Walking away from him, she had muttered about closing off a small amount of space in greenhouse six and shade it to create the perfect habitat.

Sneaking unobtrusive glances at his companion, Snape held his tongue in check. He had decided early on, that he would not say anything until they were in the Dwarven city. That way Harry could not just turn around and flee to Hogwarts. Once they had reached Hogsmeade they Apparated to the meeting place the Dwarves had chosen and subjected themselves to the blinding spell their guides had picked for them.

"Albus Dumbledore sends his greetings and his thanks." Besides Harry's voice only their breathing could be heard. The two wizards were carefully led along by their two guides, who kept them from stumbling and falling by holding fast to their charges' elbows.

After a moment of silence, a deep voice answered almost hesitantly, "You are welcome, wizard Potter. We have no use for the devilish plant at all, so why not allow you to pick some?"

The rest of the way they spent in companionable silence. When the Dwarves finally released them off the blinding spell Snape was relieved, being blind was not very comfortable and it made him feel so helpless.

To the obvious alleviation of the Dwarves, their visitors did not have to enter the new part of the city at all. Scared by the viciousness of the plant, they had escaped from the place of peril and dug a new gallery that branched off only about a hundred feet down the original entrance.

Their two Dwarf guides pointed at the tunnel. "It's this way, but we're afraid we can't come with you." Exchanging a frightened look, they smiled tentatively. "We'll wait here for you. You can't miss the plants, they're everywhere. Last time we sent in an expedition to check if the blood-camomile hasn't died out already, they came back in a hurry, saying half the city was overgrown."

Harry and Severus exchanged a glance, then thanked their guides again and set off at a comfortable walking speed down the sloping tunnel. The old city was lying deep under the earth, a lengthy walk away from the surface entrance. Parts of the way, they had to climb down long metal ladders, other parts were so low and narrow that they had to get down on their knees to navigate them. It was noticeable just how small the Dwarves were. They did not reach Severus to the shoulder, and while Harry was not quite as tall, he could not walk upright either.

It took them a good two hours of hiking, climbing and crawling to reach the huge gates leading into the old city. The hall, the tunnel ended in, was beyond breath taking and right into unbelievably beautiful. Oversized statues of Dwarves – nearly four times the size of a real Dwarf - lined the paved way that led into the city. And they were moving. Those looking into their direction practically beamed at their rare visitors and waved at them very slowly – almost in slow motion.

"Wow."

Silently echoing Harry's whispered word of admiration, Severus stepped on the glimmering road. Gemstones of all colours and sizes were embedded into the rock beneath his feet, shining so brightly it almost hurt to look at them. Treading on the precious stones gave him a funny feeling and the fine hair on his arms stood like he was being electrified. "I think there is a spell woven into the gems." They were known for their magical properties. Especially their ability to hold a stronger spell for a longer period of time than any other known material made them perfect for protection spells. It made Severus instantly suspicious, even though the beauty of it all was nearly overwhelming.

Harry appeared so silently next to him that Severus – in his contemplation – almost jumped when he spoke. "Yes, I think you are right. Just look at you, you're glowing."

Terrified Severus looked down. Indeed, he was enveloped in a soft, green light that intensified as he looked. It was the deep colour most of the emeralds in the pavement glowed in. A quick look to the right confirmed that Harry glowed as well. It was an odd mixture of deep red, streaked with a brighter green that moved over him in snake-like motions.

Welcome to Tozenguard. The nearest statue smiled at them in a friendly way and continued to address them. Are you here to free us of the monster plant? We started to feel lonely long ago, no-one visits, no-one comes to talk to us or tread on the path to Tozenguard anymore. The statue had a deep, rumbling voice that took on a decidedly sad tone.

Used to talking to the portraits Severus was not fazed. Of course they had had no idea that Dwarves could do this out of stone, but it was not completely outrageous. They were known for their accomplishments with stone in the form of carvings, after all they spent their whole lives surrounded by stone. A long time ago wizards had vied for the privilege of commissioning a statue to the Dwarves. To Severus knowledge they had never talked or moved, but there was a certain glow of life to them. "We were sent by our superior to get some blood-camomile pollen for potion ingredients. I fear, just the two of us will be unlikely to manage to get rid of a pest that has resisted the best efforts of your whole people."

All the assembled statues emitted dozens of sighs and some had pebbles fall down from their eyes. We know. But we dare not let our hopes sink, for we are the guardians of these gates. Exchanging glances with the female Dwarf statue to his right he sighed again. Our path has judged you worthy of our trust. You may proceed. May whomever you pray to, have mercy on your souls, if the dreaded plant catches you. We have glimpsed into our beloved Tozenguard every now and again and it is now overgrown.

The prospect of actually entering the lost city of the Dwarves became more and more objectionable, but there was no way back now. Harry swallowed nervously and looked at his companion to gauge his reaction to the revelation. Severus' face was set into a grim mask, like he expected disaster to strike. His lips formed a thin line that Harry interpreted as determination to deal with anything that dared to stand in his way and had his wand at the ready. Steeling himself for the worst, Harry pulled out his own wand and together they stepped closer to the gate. "Maybe we can find an effective way to deal with the blood camomile. If we do, we will of course inform your people." He could not help it but try and reassure these sad, lonely statues; even knowing they were not real people. He had seen the portrayed wizards in Dumbledore's office help him with vital things in the war, actively working for the Order, and it had changed his entire view of the wizards imprisoned in colour.

Two of the closest Dwarves stepped off their pedestals, this simple movement made the earth under their feet shiver. They approached the gates that were three times their size and swung them open with ease. Beyond was nothing but darkness.

The lights have been out since the last of our people left their home. We cannot bring them back to life. Tread carefully on the stairs. Knock against the gates three times and we will re-open them for you.

Two muttered 'Lumos' later Severus and Harry stepped into the darkness and watched the two colossal gate-wings close behind them. "Great, now what?"

"Now, Potter, we are going to find us one of those miserable plants, get enough pollen to last us for several years, nick a few seeds and return home." In his tenseness – and yes, a great deal of fear – Severus reverted to his normal coping mechanisms: Sarcasm. "Or are you afraid of the dark?" Without waiting for an answer Severus marched off in the obvious direction – away from the gate – and was lucky to see the first step before he stumbled over it. "Come on, I found the stair-case."

"Looks like Moira out of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings."

Raising an eyebrow Severus turned around to Harry, "And where do you think Tolkien got the information? He was a trustee of the Dwarves and when they felt it was the right time to branch out into the Muggle world, they allowed him to use one of their cities as stage for one of the scenes in his book. You really should read up on some of the history of the wizarding world." He turned away and continued to descend the stairs. "I am aware that Binns is the most boring person I have ever met in my life, that is however no excuse for a lack of knowledge. There are enough books on the subject."

Harry did not dignify that with an answer, resorted to rolling his eyes at the back of his companion and followed suit. The lights at the tips of their wands were the only one in the whole city and the fact that there was no railing on either side of the stair made him a little nervous. Both sides dropped down so far that the tiny light did not show them the bottom. "I don't want to fall down there."

"Try not to, then."

Severus was terrified. He would never confess that to anyone aloud, not even to himself, but there was a deep-seated fear of the blood-camomile, that he had taken with him from his school days. He remembered the story of one of his predecessors, trying to acquire pollen and being eaten alive by the plant he had picked. And now they were about to walk into a city that was overgrown with blood-camomile. He could not blame the Dwarves for running as fast and far as they could, when they did.

They were both relieved, when they reached the bottom, and started out along the paved way. It was bound to lead into the city. "We should be very careful now. I don't know how much you know about the blood-camomile, but considering how little you know about our history I would guess you have no clue." Rising a quick glance at the silent figure walking next to him, he suppressed any feelings. This was not the time to try and mend things. "They are of an ethereal beauty that will make you want to take a sniff, and while a smaller one will only attempt to bite nose, ears or fingers, the outgrown blood-camomile plants are actually able to bite off your head. I would appreciate it if you tried and kept it attached to your body, if you don't mind too much."

Suddenly a blossom, size of a boarhound, broke into the circle of light. Its pedals were slightly open to reveal tiny, spiked teeth. The stem was as broad as a small tree and very elastic as it shot at Severus, snapping for the outstretched arm that was holding the wand. It all happened so quickly, that Severus barely noticed the hard tug on the back of his robes that pulled him out of reach to the stationary plant. The blood camomile however, did not seem fazed by her victim's sudden misplacement; it changed direction and made for Harry, then suddenly stopped a good foot away from him, well out of biting range. It had run out of stem. Snapping at them regardless, the blood-camomile put it's blossom on the floor, opening it widely to reveal the blood red inside. A beguiling – almost intoxicating – fragrance started to rouse from the plant.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Severus' calm words startled Harry out of his slow movement towards the blossom. "Absolutely deadly, as you just saw. I have never heard of one this big."

Shaking his head, Harry looked at the man he had just saved from being eaten alive, he realised that Severus had done the same for him, though less spectacular. The scent was so intense and it went right to his head. "Thanks, Severus." Then he concentrated on the task at hand. "How about we burn the stem, so the blossom lies on the floor. We could levitate it to the stair and wait until it's not biting anymore and then take what we need." He received a startled look for that. "Well, it's just an idea."

"An excellent idea at that." Severus pointed his wand at the stem of the giant blood-camomile. "Incendio!" The plant writhed as if trying to put out the fire, but failed and after a while the blossom fell to the floor snapping and grinding it's tiny, translucent teeth. "Mobiliarmus." The two wizards hurried back to the stairs, putting the blossom at a good distance to the abyss to either side to stop it from tumbling down. They watched it silently until its movements became weaker and weaker and finally stopped altogether.

"The teeth are poisonous, try to not scratch yourself. While a small scratch will not kill you, it induces hallucinations that will make you highly violent and prone to run into your death." He stepped closer to the blossom, reaching into a pocket of his robes; he got out a bag with several large glasses. Without a word he handed one to Harry, who had donned his dragon-hide gloves and immediately started to gather the relatively big pollen. He then dropped them carefully into his glass. Severus himself broke off as many of the teeth as he could manage to fit into the second glass, then went in search for the large seeds that were hidden deep inside the blossom. Considering the aggressiveness of the plant they needed to protect the seeds from attacks of their own species. "I hope Sprout can handle these blood-camomile. I will suggest building a new high security glasshouse for them."

With a snap Harry closed his glass and handed it over. "Done." Putting his gloves back into the appropriate pocket he looked around, "Lets leave! This place is eerie."

An hour later they found out that the way up was more strenuous than the way down had been. The slope was ascending briskly in times while being almost even at others. The narrow tunnels were even more of a task now, that some of them very pretty steep, nearing 45 degrees. So when they reached a nice little natural bubble in the stone the Dwarves had obviously used as camp while working their way down, they decided to rest. Eating what they had brought in silence, they rested their hurting feet, elbows and knees. Crawling over rocks was not a very comfortable business.

Severus was finished first and got up to stretch his back. The last leg of their journey had given him a backache in addition to the scratches on his forehead when he had overlooked a rock that was protruding from the ceiling. "Harry, I would like to thank you for saving my life earlier. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that as well." He held out a hand to help Harry up and tried to think of something else to say, something to fix what he had broken on the first day back in time, when suddenly the mountain shuddered. In a split second the walls of their resting place started to crumble down and the only thing that saved Harry Potter from being buried under a mountain, was a heavy pull on his hand. After that, pandemonium broke out. Severus lost track of him as he desperately tried to protect his head from getting hit by the rocks. When one of them slammed into his chest and knocked him back, he banged his head severely on the stony floor.

It didn't take long until the rockslide stopped and everything was dark. As he was unable to move some rocks hit him, making his situation even worse. Luckily most of them were not sharp edged, but the dust in the air made his already laboured and erratic breathing even worse.

A few rocks were still falling now, but thankfully all of them missed him, although one fell down very close to his head. His arms both burned with pain and while the right one was definitely broken, his left arm and shoulder were only buried under sharp edged stones. They cut harshly into his skin, through the protective layers of his clothes. Listening into himself, Severus realised with aching slowness that he had also broken his right leg. Blood was trickling down his cheek and when he turned his head to the right he felt his stomach lurch at the motion.

A low moan echoed in the cave and then a bright light seeped into every crack with a muttered Lumos.

"That was quite unpleasant, wasn't it? Are you all right, Severus?" Harry's voice was balm on Snape's ears, but at the same time a little too loud.

Even though he tried, the Potion Master was unable to reply. His thoughts were sluggish and unfocussed, and the bright light – while welcome – hurt his eyes. Whatever escaped his lips was nothing more than a low groan. He shut his eyes and attempted to raise his head a little, but while it eased the pressure he felt in his head, he was too weak to stay in this position for long. The dizziness returned full force, once he carefully dropped his head back down, fighting to stay conscious.

"Severus?" Only a sliver of panic was audible in Harry's voice, while his mind was screaming at him that he should hurry. Rounding one of the bigger rocks that had fallen down from the ceiling a bad feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. The light, that emitted from his wand filled every corner in the now rather small looking cavern they had decided to take a short rest in. "Professor Snape?" He could not imagine Severus being so callous as to refrain from answering to his given name in a situation like this, but after what had happened he put almost nothing past the Potion Master. These dark thoughts were immediately pushed aside when he caught sight of a prone figure half buried under a small amount of rocks.

Without hesitation Harry flung himself at Severus Snape's side, careful not to jostle stones or any body part that was sticking out. "Merlin." With accurateness he had never given himself credit for, Harry recalled the first aid courses Madame Pomfrey had forced onto the members of the Order. "Nothing is as important as bodily contact. Patients are confused, have lost their orientation. They need an attachment figure and encouragement."

"Severus. Can you hear me?" Harry watched anxiously until he saw the Potion Master blink painfully into the bright light. Berating himself silently he muttered "Lumos Minima" to make the surroundings more comfortable for the injured man. "I'll touch your shoulder now; don't be alarmed, it might hurt." His hands carefully felt Severus' right shoulder, scanning the other man's face carefully for any reaction of pain. The Potion Master was paler than normally and he was taking shallow breaths that worried Harry instantly.

Severus eyes tried to focus on his face without success. "Can't breathe!" Pain and panic were mixed in his expression, with something Harry identified as regret.

The last baffled him for a bit, until his first aid training took over. "I'm going to clear away the rocks from your chest now."

"When a patient is in shock and you are too far away from mediwizard facilities to transport the patient there immediately, you need to put up the feet. If head, chest, stomach, pelvis or legs are injured you CANNOT do this. You need to keep them warm, keep them conscious and stop any bleeding. Check on breathing, consciousness and pulse regularly."

He needed to get the rocks off Severus to check for injuries. From the amount of rocks on Severus' body Harry had to assume that there were several injuries that could accumulate to a potentially life-threatening situation. Keeping his hand on the injured man's shoulder, he carefully levitated the rocks off his chest. The stones were stacked on top of each other loosely and he was afraid of causing another slide.

Rock by rock he uncovered his companion, checking every time if any had pierced the skin. He never so much as slowed down in his string of calming utterances.

"Foreign bodies are not to be removed."

Harry had no idea how much time elapsed between the rockslide itself to the point when he had cleared off all the debris. The only thing he knew was how relieved he felt about this. "I'm going to check you for injuries, Severus, this is going to hurt." The other wizard grimaced at the renewed pain in his chest as he carefully ran his fingers over his ribs. Obviously the removal of the weight had eased his breathing. Before Harry could seriously start with the examination he had to get rid of the clothing. Further he needed to make sure that his patient was comfortable and in the least painful position. "First I will try and make you more comfortable."

He reached for Severus' wand and after lighting it as well, stuck it in a crack between two stones near them. Pointing his own at his patient with a soft, "Diffindo", the cloth ripped apart almost soundlessly down the middle and at the arms. It fell down and left Severus almost naked but for the dark green boxer shorts he was wearing. Scanning the body he was shocked at the amount of abrasions, but relieved that he saw no bones stick out. No open fractions. While conjuration had never been one of his stronger points Harry immediately conjured a light blanket and spread it over the already shivering man.

"So cold." His voice was small and his teeth were audibly clattering.

The blue tinge of his lips made Harry's need to get the injured Potion Master off the cold rock floor. "I know. Don't worry; you'll be warm in a moment. I need to get up now." His knees were hurting from staying in one position too long and he could barely keep on his feet.

"Don't go!"

The anguished exclamation tugged at his heart. Severus' uninjured hand buried in his robes, trying to keep him close. "I'm still here Severus, I'm not leaving you alone." He kept up a string of chatter until he had finished his task. Conjuring a thick, insulating blanket he carefully spread on the clear space only a few feet away. Small pebbles would not be noticeable under it. The fist still clenched in his robes had not allowed him to move freely at all, but it was enough. "See? I'm still here," he soothed his agitated patient, gently prying his fingers open. "I will move you a little now, it won't hurt at all."

Harry did not dare to get up again this time; the excitement was not good for a man in Severus' condition. "Mobiliarmus." Severus floated up a little in exactly the position he had been lying in and very slowly moved onto the blanket. Only his bloody and torn robes were left behind. Moving with his charge Harry was always in touching range and the man clung to his hand as if it was a lifeline. Noticing the way the man tried to keep his head lifted a little and failed as his strength left him, Harry conjured a small pillow for him to rest on.

Still chatting with the silent man he finally started with the most alarming possible injury. He checked the ribs first and breathed a sigh of relief when no bones were sticking out. If they were broken at least they had not impaled the lungs.

He was still very pale and while Harry did not want to cause any more pain he had no choice but continue checking for injuries. He had to be sure the older wizard had nothing more life-threatening than a large bump on the back of his head and a severely bruised chest with the possibility of some of his ribs having cracked. "I need you to tell me where it hurts, Severus."

A painful cough shook Severus for a second before he could answer, "Right arm and right leg. I think they are both broken."

Harry moved his hands carefully from Severus chest that was already coloured red, blue and dark lilac and took a close look at the right arm. It was swollen above the elbow but it was not broken. The right arm was lying in the form it was supposed to be in, no odd extra joint. While that was uplifting, the right leg was a completely different matter. The bone was definitely broken. The swelling that had almost doubled the diameter was coloured purple and blue. It had a slight bend at a place where it should be straight.

Reassured that none of his injuries were life-threatening Harry settled down cross-legged next to his companion. There was nothing he could do now, only wait and hope the Dwarves would come in search for them.

"Harry ..." Severus sounded better already. His head was slightly raised by a thin pillow that Harry had conjured for him. "I need to tell you something."

His voice was weak and Harry did not want him to spend all his energy on talking, "It's okay, Severus, you can tell me later, after Poppy had a look at you."

"No!" Severus' reaction was a little too strong, he even tried sitting up and Harry had to gently press him back. "No, I need to tell you now."

Amazed at the strength the older man had shown, he carefully took his left hand.

"I'm sorry for treating you the way I did. It's just that I didn't know how to handle it and the residue of the spell was making me grumpy. I was behaving like the idiot you thought I am." The words rushed out of Severus mouth without going the detour through censorship. Severus did only hear them himself very dimly, like they were coming from very far away and definitely not like he was saying them. "I missed you so much and I couldn't even tell you because you don't remember."

"Severus ..." Harry tried to calm down the frantic man, whose babbling did not make much sense. All it did was confuse him. The Severus Snape he knew did not talk like that. He used long words, rarely used abbreviations and definitely did not patter like this.

Not giving Harry the chance to even get a word in edgewise, Severus ploughed on like the younger man had not said a word. "I'm dying Harry and I haven't done what I was sent to do. Hermione and Ron coming home earlier are only going to tip the scales so much, there is so much I need to tell you, so much I've been dreaming of telling you. But there is no time." He closed his eyes, feeling horribly weak. Everything ached and the only thing that gave him the strength to stay conscious was Harry, whose fingers were gently stroking his left hand. "Dumbledore sent me back in time, Harry, to safe you Ron and Hermione from walking to your certain death. We thought you had defeated Voldemort, we thought you were just as dead as your two friends. But I found you." Taking a wheezing breath he suppressed a cough. The dust in their cave itched in his eyes and throat.

"What are you talking about Severus? 'Sent back in time'? 'Certain death'? I don't understand." Maybe he had misjudged the severity of Severus' head-injury. He was hallucinating or mingling reality with dreams he had had.

"I'm not crazy!" Severus' had opened his eyes again, staring accusingly up at Harry, who in turn had a very sceptic expression on his face. "Albus sent me to change the fact that you, Ron and Hermione Weasley march into a battle that you cannot win. While Ron and Hermione died you did not, you lived, in a coma in a Muggle hospital. Until I stumbled over you on a mission and brought you back home, home to Hogwarts. You had lost your memory and Poppy said it would never come back."

Misery enveloped him.

"You would never remember what we shared, that you loved me and lived with me in our apartments. That you had completely changed my life and made me a better man. She said you would never recover and that the most we could hope is for you to regain some of your abilities by re-learning them." He felt the tears he had dismissed so often during Harry's time back at Hogwarts, well up. "And then – then Voldemort came back. He had hidden in you, Harry; after all you had done to get rid of him he was inside your head. There was nothing we could do without endangering you and Albus sent me back, to solve our problems at the root." After this eruption of emotion he had spent all his strength. Closing his eyes again he tried to gather everything he had left to at least give Harry a chance to survive.

"Severus." Harry's voice was nothing but a whisper. He had not heard much after the mention of time travel but the bits suddenly made sense. "I believe you. Merlin ... why didn't you tell me this earlier." He fell silent for a second to put together all the pieces, the changes, and the different behaviour. "You used the Tempus Via spell, didn't you? That day, when I chewed you out for leaving your classes without a word, when you dismissed the class after a few minutes, you had just jumped in at that point." Realisation dawned on him, "You were suffering from the pain that it induces when travelling. Who is your anchor in the future, Severus?" He paused only long enough to take a shallow breath then he answered his own question. "Albus. It's got to be him. You two idiots! How can you two jeopardize the time line and your lives just to keep me safe?"

Attempting to sit up again, Severus gave up when the pain in his chest exploded again. "Because we love you." There was no anger in his voice, just desperation for the other one to understand.

With a flabbergasted look Harry echoed Severus' words back at him, "Because you love me?" He shook himself. "You love me?"

Severus gave up on trying to get up and instead disentangled his good hand from Harry's grip, grasped the other man's collar and pulled him down for a searing kiss. Stunned by the sudden action Harry did not respond for an endless seeming amount of time. Just when Severus released his hold on the motionless DADA teacher the young man suddenly sprung into motion. Holding on to Severus hand like a lifeline and deepening the kiss with a passion that made Severus feel like he had just come home.

When they parted for air, both of them were flushed and Harry smiled shyly, "You know, I love you too, you big dolt. I've been trying to find the courage to approach you since I started teaching at Hogwarts. We'll have to talk about the time travelling business later, when we're back home and Poppy has had her wicked way with you." Grinning broadly at the groan from Severus he went on, winking, "I'll make sure she behaves."

"Just leave me here, I think I prefer dying to her bed-side manner."

Typically Severus, Harry thought with delight. He had not forgotten all that talk about dying before and it had made him feel uncomfortable. The return of the acid tones was a definite improvement. "I see you're feeling better already."

The following banter was disrupted by the appearance of a hole in the rock barrier, that blocked their way out. A hand holding a candle was stuck through, then a head and before long, a Dwarf crawled through. Both Harry and Severus looked at him in amazement, wondering how the rather stocky being had managed to squeeze through the pretty tiny tunnel.

"I've found them!"

A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it.


	8. Restoration

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.  
  
Chapter 8 – Restoration  
  
Harry Potter was sitting at his desk in his private rooms. In front of him was a pile of homework from his 6th years. 5 feet about the Unforgivable curses from all of them. He was tempted to bang his head against the desktop thinking about the idiocy of giving them the assignment in the first place. Had he known what the weekend would bring he would never have punished himself with looking through the utter drivel some of his students surely had written and just presented them with a surprise test.  
  
He pulled one of the essays in front of him and dipped his quill into the red ink, although he would have preferred being in the hospital wing he started on his work. Watching Severus Snape's attempts to evade Poppy and trying to sneak out like a schoolboy was far more fun. Frowning he scratched out a whole paragraph. "Marvin, Marvin, Marvin," he muttered dejectedly. "What am I going to do with you?" While I see the fascination of Quidditch, the World Cup is in no way related to the Unforgivable curses. He scribbled his sarcastic remark on the side and underlined it twice to be sure his worst pupil would read it.  
  
Then he put his quill aside and lowered his head to his hands. The whole situation was overwhelming. He got up and went to the tall window in his study, letting the past day run through his mind unhindered.  
  
The Dwarves had saved Severus and Harry; utterly afraid to go to the city they had gone to look for them anyway. Now the way to Tozenguard was buried under tons of rock, no-one would be able to visit again for a long time. Their saviours had all agreed that the wizards had been extraordinary lucky to survive and they were doubtful if digging their way to Tozenguard would be such a good idea. Severus – although nauseous, dizzy and in pain – had been the one to suggest waiting for a year, until all the oxygen had been used up. All exits now closed the magic of the Dwarves that allowed oxygen to circulate would die away. Even the blood-camomile needed to breathe.  
  
Thinking back the blood-camomile already scared Harry out of his mind. They had been incredibly lucky to live through their first – and hopefully last - meeting with the plant. The idea of Sprout growing the incredibly beautiful and violent plants in a special glasshouse was a scary thought, but a far superior way of acquiring potion ingredients. "She'd better not think I'll help her with the harvest." It was a warm day, nevertheless he shuddered violently. No pleading would get him into that glasshouse.  
  
However awful the notion was, it could not be stopped now, even if they wanted to. Once the Dwarves had led them to a height that allowed them to Apparate, Harry had whisked Severus away to Hogsmeade. Apparating the two of them had been a drain on Harry's energy, but he managed and the relief he felt at the sight of the familiar houses could not be expressed in words. Severus had been a pity to look at, their Potion Master was a mess, he was cradling his torn robe to himself. With his good arm he desperately clung to Harry, who was carrying both their lightened wands and his eyes were closed firmly against the light of the evening sun.  
  
It must have been the oddest sight ever and he knew for a fact that Severus was not looking forward to being brought home like this. There would be students, ogling at him and whispering behind his back for what was left of the school year. Severus knew that and was complaining loudly about it the whole march back to the castle that he spent floating comfortably beside Harry.  
  
Sure enough hoards of students stared at them on their way to the hospital wing. Falling silent Severus had glared at them in a way that promised everyone he remembered a horrible potions class if they did not disperse immediately. It only worked on a few of them, but he was sure Severus would make the rest suffer accordingly. Harry himself had a few ideas for those, who were not intimidated by the injured man.  
  
Shaking his head Harry dispersed the memories still lingering. His hand was almost touching the Pensieve when he stopped. The happenings in the Dwarven city and on the way back had made him wish for the relief only this clever device could give him. But now that he had the option he was loath to miss the memories of Severus opening his heart to him.  
  
His hand fell back to his side and he turned to the window. Harry shuddered, even though the room was almost too hot, he felt cold all of the sudden. The image of Severus under the stones, still and silent came back to haunt him at the most inappropriate times. He hugged himself and leaned against the windowsill. "Severus is fine, he's with Poppy," he whispered to himself, trying to get rid of the awful feeling of loss he was experiencing. Maybe he would feel better once Albus was back to debrief him.  
  
For a long time Harry had never thought of befriending the man who had been the bane of his existence in his school-time. After he had come back to Hogwarts he had found out, that Severus was not half as bad as he wanted others to see him. It was easy to look behind his masks when you saw him interacting with Albus. Harry had realised, that Severus was scared, isolated and actually loved his job. To his utter surprise the man had never said a word against his getting the DADA post, had been utterly polite and sometimes even downright friendly. At first this had scared him. It had been like Harry was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never came.  
  
One day Albus had invited him to his office for a cup of tea – and biscuits of course – and he had explained a great deal of things. Severus had never really seen Harry until he had turned 16. It had always been his father. It had taken him weeks to get over that revelation and his own fears, but after that he had tried to befriend the withdrawn man. And to a certain degree he had succeeded. Until that day when the future Severus had jumped back in time to save his life.  
  
Thinking that made it sound crazier than it was when Severus had desperately tried to explain everything. Although - it did make sense in a weird kind of way.  
  
The man he had tried to befriend to have a chance to jump in his bed, had come back from a time when they had been lovers, to save him from having amnesia and Ron and Hermione Weasley from dying. If he had not been so distracted by Severus' injuries at the time he would have laughed. If Severus had not been talking about his dying and time running out he would have thought the man was pulling his leg. If, if, if. And he had believed it, he still believed it, he just did not want to believe it.  
  
There had been no possibility to get the whole story out of the man – besides what he had said already. Harry now hoped that Albus could shed some more light on it. But the Headmaster was in London at the moment, visiting the Minister of Magic. They had managed to get rid of Fudge a couple of years ago, only Merlin knew what the dimwit was up to nowadays. Someone quite unexpected had managed to snatch the post. Arthur Weasley.  
  
When the time for elections came and Dumbledore put forth the name of the head of the Weasley family almost everyone had been at least surprised – if not shocked. Lucius Malfoy had been raging for days. They had tried to get him convicted of being a Death-Eater for years but he had managed to slip out of their grasp again and again.  
  
Even though Malfoy had done everything to discredit and embarrass Arthur he had not managed to stop the avalanche that Albus had started. Arthur Weasley had been elected with a booming 80%.  
  
Until now Arthur had done a good job of calming the population while not understating the situation. Wizards and Witches were prepared, Hogwarts had been made as autonomous as it was supposed to be and the students were prepared vigorously. After all they were going out into a world that was everything but secure.  
  
His thoughts were drawn back to the irascible Potion Master again and he sighed deeply. Maybe he should go visit the hospital wing after all. Severus and he had a lot to talk about and to put right. Poppy's domain was at least neutral. Harry was torn between wanting to believe Severus and having him committed to St. Mungus. How could he believe anyone who told him that Hermione and Ron would die? They were happy, newly married and had finally found some peace and tranquillity. A week ago they had told him he was going to be an uncle. They had even asked him to be godfather to the baby. The baby. What would happen to the baby if its parents were dead and the godfather couldn't remember? Severus had never mentioned the newest addition to the Weasley family.  
  
When Hermione had flooed with the news she had seemed so happy. Harry could not believe she was dead in the future. "No." They were still alive. He would not let them die. Not this time.  
  
Concentrating on the sight in front of his eyes he was surprised to find it blurred by tears. With a furious movement he wiped them away. They were tears of anger. At himself. At Voldemort. At everything that could happen. Suddenly he did not remember what held him in his rooms and before he was aware of it he was already out and on his way to the infirmary.  
  
Moving through the school with renewed purpose he was glad it was Monday and the students were in their classes. Right that moment he would have glared at them with the same intensity Severus usually did. It seemed Harry had adopted some of the Potion Master's bad habits. Especially the sarcasm. He had worked together for a long time with the other man. First in the Order, than as a teacher and their battles of words were not only well known, but feared. They also had the tendency to team up on anyone who had the notion of arbitrating in their dispute. Albus had told him with a smile that they were absolutely terrifying when they stood together like that. At the time he had been aware of growing feelings for his co-worker, but he did not know it was mutual.  
  
When he reached his goal Harry hesitated for a moment with his hand on the door handle. Had it just been the stress and the injury, which had tempted Severus to tell him that he loved him? Or was it real? Did it really matter?  
  
Yes it did. Harry had invested a lot into their improved working and personal relationship. To see that wasted would be depressing.  
  
Finally opening the door Harry entered something that resembled complete chaos. He knew that it was empty but for Poppy and Severus, but the state of the hospital wing was abysmal. And there, in the central bed, Severus Snape was lying, struggling against bindings, a dark expression on his face. "Good Merlin, Severus, what on earth did you do to warrant being bound to the bed?" The words were out before he could stop them, together with a broad grin.  
  
"I attempted to leave my bed and attend the debriefing. Pomfrey overreacted completely. Could you stop laughing now and help me?" He looked pointedly at the broad leather cuffs that were lined with fluffy lining on the inside. It held fast on his wrists and there was a matching set on his ankles.  
  
A sudden thought struck and Harry grinned evilly, "Actually, I think I like you like this. He sat down on a chair next to the bed. "How about we have a little chat about what you said in the tunnel? Especially the small thing about what you feel for me and how we are going to proceed with our relationship." All of the sudden that was the most important thing on his mind. Everything else paled in comparison. They would work through it later, when Severus was better. But this, he had to know this now. Not later. Not tomorrow. Now.  
  
Severus ceased his struggling and seriously looked at Harry, "I shouldn't have told you all that. I was desperate and thought I would die in there."  
  
Raising his eyebrows Harry considered all possible answers to that and finally settled on manipulation. "So you really don't love me?" He had learned from a master after all.  
  
"This is the Tempus Via spell we are talking about, Harry. Do you think I would have done that if I did not love you? Not even Albus could have made me do that for someone I do not feel a lot for." There was a great deal of exasperation in Severus' voice.  
  
Smiling brightly Harry got up from his seat. "Good, I'm glad we talked about it. I'm going to see if Albus is back from his visit to London now. Talk to you later." As he turned he grinned at the curses flung his way. He should thank Poppy for confiscating Severus' wand.  
  
Already at the door he hesitated again, Severus' sharp and irate voice washed over him. In a flurry of movement he turned around and with a few steps he was at the bed, pressing his lips over Severus', muffling him effectively. It was only a brief, cursory kiss. Enough to shut up the Potion Master and to make them both look forward to more. He felt Severus ceasing to struggle against his bonds.  
  
When he moved away slowly and opened his eyes, he smiled. Severus' face was flushed and his eyes slightly unfocussed. "Thanks. For everything." Not giving Severus any time to recover he fled.  
  
A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	9. Homecoming

Author's notes: Thanks for the numerous reviews and I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story so much. I've posted the following a while ago but removed it when it came to my attention that just posting notes is forbidden. No idea how that slipped by me :).  
  
I noticed very late that I had chapter 8 already posted at the same time as 7, I have no idea how that happened. I've fixed it as soon as I realised it  
  
Chapter 7 was the last of the pre-written chapters I had, I'm writing as I post so to say.  
  
Jemma Blackwell: Thanks, I haven't seen that one before.  
hermoine21: I think I've said before that I like happy ends, and I do list the story as HP/SS Sorry for the double posting, I really had no idea I still had the first version of chapter 8 stuck at the bottom of chapter 7. And I was wondering at the length of it! Don't worry, I'll post something new soon. liz: Severus is a very hard character to keep in line. Especially if I want to write some emotions. I'm working very hard, as does my beta - darkmoore05 - to keep him in line. Tazthedevilman: :D Yes, she's great, isn't she? I have to say I would never have posted Amnesia if she had not made that a condition of herself posting her stories. As her beta and friend I have to say I'm incredibly proud of her and the way she is developing that story.  
  
Chapter 9 - Restoration  
  
Bound to the bed as he was, Severus could not run after Harry. All he could do was lie in bed, wondering why he had left in such a hurry. He had mostly slept for the past few hours, ever since they had caught him. Temperament running away with him, the wild magic he usually kept tightly controlled, escaped in the form of whirlwinds. The state of the infirmary was a sorry one and he prided himself to be the one responsible for it.  
  
Casting his mind back he reviewed why he had not been able to leave this place when he had the chance to do so.  
  
_"Poppy, I must insist you let me go. Now." His voice was nothing but a growl. It did not intimidate the medi-witch at all.  
  
Severus Snape was half sitting half lying on the hospital bed Harry had levitated him into. The black robes he had worn were lying on the floor under it and the Potion Master felt out of his depth. Even in the years he had spent as a spy he had rarely gone to the infirmary. His knowledge of potions had saved him those irksome trips after he had angered Voldemort. Simply treating himself was far easier than trying to appease an upset Pomfrey. For whatever reason, she thought he needed cosseting and attention far more than the students. She tended to flutter around him all the time. Not the way to improve his mood. Hence self-treating the effects of the Cruciatus curse had become one of Severus specialities over the years.  
  
"You need the rest. Albus can wait." She was still holding the bottle with the sleeping potion out to him. One of his best brews, he could tell from the label. When he did not take hold of it immediately, she put it onto the bedside table. Walking to her office, her anger showing in her stride, she raised her voice loud enough for Severus to hear her clearly, "If that bottle is still full when I return to tuck you in, I will force feed it's contents to you."  
  
Shaking his head, Severus threw back the thin duvet that covered him and swung his legs over the left side. He had every intention of walking out of the infirmary in the next few minutes, come what may. The room spun for a while, his body was exhausted from the injuries and what Pomfrey had done to repair the damage. "I don't have the time for this," he muttered irritably. Every time he came to the infirmary in the past, the first thing the medi-witch did was take away his clothes. All of them. He was only wearing a skimpy hospital-shift. It was too short, and the cold air on his backside was uncomfortable. From earlier experiences he knew that Pomfrey would have hidden everything wearable when he had been dozing earlier.  
  
His bare feet touched the stone-floor and even though he knew that the broken leg was healed, he winced in expectation of pain that never came. After that, getting up was easy. He briefly bent down to retrieve his tattered robe with the precious contents and made for the door with his usual long strides. He was in the doorway when he heard the screech of outrage from behind and decided to run for freedom.  
  
"Severus!"  
  
He knew Pomfrey would be in hot pursuit. She had his wand, but there was no way she would fire curses at him, not after all the work she had had with fixing his injuries. Already out of breath he still harboured the hope of making it down to the dungeons before she caught up to him. Grateful for the empty corridors - it would absolutely not do for anyone to see his bare bottom - he skidded to a halt in front of the staircase that would lead him almost to the door to his classroom. There was a change of clothes down there and Pomfrey would not dare drag him out of his home-turf.  
  
"Severus! What a pleasant surprise to see you." The voice came from behind and held more laughter than the situation warranted.  
  
Almost afraid to turn to face the witness of his flight - but instantly aware of his state of undress - Severus whirled around to face none other than the Headmaster. "Albus." He nodded curtly and then threw a nervous glance into the direction he had come from.  
  
Standing on the last step of the staircase he had just descended, Albus looked Severus up and down with knowing eyes. "I see you were in too much of a hurry to leave the infirmary. Poppy would have given you something to change into, had you waited for her."  
  
I sincerely doubt that, he thought but nodded in spite of himself. "I was in a hurry, Albus." It was true. He hastily reached into the pocket of the tattered robe he was holding in his left hand and retrieved pollen, seed and teeth, pressing the full containers into Albus' hands. "I needed to talk to you, the debriefing is important. Harry knows everything now." He was swaying on his feet and in his exhaustion and with the need to explain everything, Albus' waving his wand went unnoticed.  
  
"Sorry, Severus, but I believe you belong into bed and in Poppy's care."  
  
The last thing he felt was Albus catching him before he fell onto the floor or down the staircase. His half-aware mind was marvelling at the strength in the old wizard. "Albus..." He tried to explain, but the world went black and he drifted off not even half-way through the sentence._  
  
"Are you calmer now, Severus?" Pomfrey stuck her head inside the curtains, a put upon look on her face. Terrorised by her patient she had hid in her office while the wind had howled relentlessly through the large room. Severus almost felt sorry for her.  
  
He raised an arm to scratch his nose without conscious thought and like before he came short of his face. Sighing he looked at the medi-witch pleadingly, "I'm a grown man, Poppy. Let me go."  
  
She stepped through the gap in the curtains and he saw that she not only had his wand, but also a bundle of clothes with her. "Here, get out before I decide to put you to sleep for the rest of the day." The bounds fell loose at a gesture and she almost threw the clothes on the foot end of the bed. "You're a nuisance when you are sick and in need of care, Severus. So try to evade the rocks next time. Or push Harry in front of yourself instead of out of the way, he is a much better patient than you are. Now get out of my infirmary."  
  
Out of bed with an uncanny speed and already half-dressed Severus did not spare a look as Pomfrey turned around and stalked back to her office, muttering about ungrateful people using Severus as an example.

* * *

Striding through the corridors at a much more dignified speed now, he did not even contemplate going to his classroom or office in the dungeon. Instead he used the less travelled ways to reach the teacher's wing and the sanctuary of his quarters.  
  
"Did you break out again?"  
  
Startled Severus swirled around. Harry Potter was leaning against the wall and looked like he had been there for quite some time. "No."  
  
He pushed himself off the wall and walked to Severus, right into his private space. "You need to go back to your time."  
  
Wincing at the urgency in Harry's voice Severus silently conceded that he was right. He had lingered far too long in this time already, the pressure had steadily built and in a day or two he would be crippled with a building pain. In a week he would not only be in a coma but also perilously close to death. Just looking at Harry reminded him of the one in the future, who kept staring at him without recognition in his eyes, comatose and possessed by Voldemort. "I need to stay until I know that Hermione and Ron will stay alive." Fear was a nasty feeling. Severus did not like it one bit.  
  
"I talked to Hermione and Ron this morning, they are both overjoyed to come back home. She is looking forward to work together with you." He sighed and brushed some stray hair out of his eyes, an achingly familiar gesture. "Look, Severus, I know how this spell works and your death is the last thing I want. If you don't go voluntarily I will ask Albus to chain you to a bed again and send you back." He hesitated before he stepped even closer, their bodies almost touching but not quite, "You've done what you came back for. We are warned, we are together and we will plan. I will be waiting for you on the other end."  
  
"If you can't change it, life is not worth going back to," he whispered brokenly, opening up all the pain to the outside for the first time since Harry had vanished. "I tried it, but I just missed you too much." How can one live without his soul? "Albus would not allow me to leave; he forced food down my throat in those first few weeks. Without him you would not have a place to return to. If it does not work, I will be back. You know I will be back." Finally he reached out with his right hand, brushing it unsteadily and gently through the unruly hair of his soul mate.  
  
A soft smile bloomed on Harry's face and he leaned into the touch. "After the debriefing with Albus you will return to you own time." His soft expression did nothing to belie the order.  
  
"Since when have I ever listened to you, Harry?" He did not want to go back to the future to see Harry lying in an isolated room and Albus hovering near it with wrath on his mind. The thought made him physically ill.  
  
"I won't take no for an answer. You know I won't, so why make this harder on yourself?" Reaching out in turn, Harry's hand settled on Severus' shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Albus will be back tomorrow, he has been called to London." The implication was clear.  
  
Harry had always been the more stubborn of the two in most areas. Like Severus' wellbeing. While the older man always insisted he could take care of himself, he never won an argument on that basis. The hand moved from his shoulder to allow the thumb to rub the sensitive skin of his neck. Clearing his voice nervously Severus closed his eyes for a second before looking back into Harry's. In a split second he decided that it was time he seized the moment, "Would you like to have lunch with me?"  
  
"It's dinner-time." Those emerald eyes danced with suppressed laughter, happy at being asked.  
  
"Dinner then."  
  
Harry smiled softly, nodded and let go of him. "That would be wonderful." They stood like that for a few moments, looking into each other's eyes, Severus' hand in Harry's hair. Then they separated hesitantly and the Potion Master led the DADA teacher into his quarters.  
  
Severus stayed at the door, watching Harry look around the living room for the first time. He was picking up the odds and ends the Potion Master had strewn across shelves and tables. The memory of a similar happening resurfaced, as Harry slowly made his way through the room.  
  
_"I never thought you'd keep so much ... stuff."  
  
Frowning Severus strode to Harry's side, looking down at what he was holding. "It's not stuff, they are mementos." Taking the stone from Harry's fingers he stroked it gently before putting it back to its place. "My nephew gave me this before he died. I kept it to remind me of him."  
  
Harry put his hand over Severus', "I understand." They looked at each other for an endless moment before Harry pointed at another memento, a jewellery box set with emeralds. "What about this one?"  
  
"It was my mother's. I was an only child and all of my parents' possessions went to me when they died." His voice was steady and he was thankful for it.  
  
"Don't you have any happy mementos? Are they all linked to death?" He asked in a soft voice, turning them both away from the clutter with determination, a hand firmly on Severus' back.  
  
He pondered the question seriously, his mind going through a mental inventory. "No, most of these are memories of friends and family who do no longer exist." He hesitated a moment as he looked around, "They are here to remind me of past mistakes."  
  
"Not everything in your past is automatically a mistake, Severus. I am not a mistake, am I?" There was a high amount of teasing in his voice that made Severus puzzle for a moment. People did not tease or joke around him.  
  
"Harry, you are no mistake -" His voice broke. "No mistake," he repeated in a whisper. Longing to be held and touched he stepped closer to the first human being he had ever invited to his rooms. Albus never asked, he just passed through his wards like a breeze and upturned his plans like he did his life once in a while. _br>  
"Are you okay, Severus?"  
  
Shaking his head to rid himself of the cobwebs of memories, he found himself staring at Harry's face, which was a mere inch away from his. A sudden longing tugged on his raw feelings and he leaned in closer. Their lips touched gently, caressing and without urgency. It felt like the most natural thing he had done in ages and his hands slid in place on Harry's back without any help from his mind at all.  
  
The kiss grew more frantic and deeper until Harry came up for air. Eyes closed, lips swollen slightly and cheeks flushed he almost looked edible and Severus had to reign in his raging libido not to pounce him there and then. It just was not right. This was not how it had been in his past; Harry was the pursuer and Severus the pursued.  
  
"Harry."  
  
His eyes snapped open and the glasses magnified his eyes. "Yes," he asked breathlessly.  
  
Severus cleared his throat, "I want you." Blinking a couple of times he tried to find out why he had voiced that errant thought. He had intended to say something completely different, to withdraw and let Harry and his past self sort it out between themselves. It was too late now to take it back.  
  
Moaning helplessly Harry tried to get even closer; pushing Severus in the direction he knew the bedroom was located at the same time. Every suit in the teachers' wing had the same build-up. Washed away by the passion he was feeling, Severus went willingly, allowing Harry to kiss him senseless at the same time.  
  
The next thing he was aware of was Harry pushing him backwards, the edge of the bed at his knees. The younger wizard crawled on top of him in a heartbeat. He kissed his lips chastely only once, then moved on to caress every bit of revealed skin with his lips. Kissing, biting and licking he moved down to the collar that refused him access to Severus' chest.  
  
It was all a haze of passion and lust to Severus. The only thing he was aware of was the heated touch of Harry's mouth and the searing of his fingers as he was undressed in a rush. Lying on his king-sized bed, Harry Potter on top of him, pinning him down and halfway to crying with happiness he felt like he belonged.  
  
"No," he whimpered, even though every part of him screamed for more. "Harry, no." He pulled Harry's head away from the sensitive spot he had been nibbling on and up to face him. "We cannot do this." Breathless and tingling all over, not doing this was the last thing he wanted. It felt like betrayal to ihis/i Harry too much.  
  
"Why not?" The question was breathed into Severus' ear, followed by a gentle bite underneath.  
  
Trying to think was an immense effort, "It's not right, I'm not the right man."  
  
Harry sat up on top of him, looking down quizzically. "What do you mean 'I'm not the right man'? Of course you are I've been trying to get you to open up to me for months now." His eyes were dilated with checked passion but he was listening.  
  
"You are not my Harry." Severus did not want to hurt this man, but it just wasn't right to just jump to bed together. Not like this. Not now.  
  
Climbing off the bed, Harry straightened his rumpled clothes. He blushed slightly, turning away from Severus, who was leaning on his elbows. The Potion Master's robes were unbuttoned to his navel, his hair in disarray, bite marks along his neck.  
  
"I think I'd better go now, Severus," he said calmly, looking presentable again.  
  
The older wizard watched Harry walk to the door, his mind blank. It took a few minutes before he jumped up and ran after him. "Harry!" He was out of the front door before he remembered his state of dress. "I love you."  
  
The DADA teacher turned around, a crooked smile on his face, "I love you, too." They hugged, each knowing it would be the last time. "I've always loved you and I always will. You know, I'm a very patient man."  
  
Clinging to Harry like he was the only thing between life and death Severus just nodded into Harry's shoulder. He knew he would embarrass himself if he said anything now.  
  
"Oh. My. God."  
  
The squeaky voice cut through the serenity of the moment like a chainsaw through an iron post. _Blast it._ He stepped away from Harry and touched his cheek lovingly for a moment. With a swish of his still half-undone robes he turned and fled into his quarters, leaving Harry to deal with the two pupils who were standing at the corner.

* * *

The pull to return had become stronger and stronger during the last 24 hours. It was a sensation between a limb that had fallen asleep and a sore muscle. Severus had only stayed so long because he knew he would remember nothing of it after he had returned. Blessed Oblivion.  
  
Whatever he changed in the past, his returning younger self would believe he had done it on his own volition. Everything said about the future, would be either ignored or purged from memory. Not even Harry and Albus would remember every detail. What they had set in motion over the last day was inexorably going to hit the future like a loose stone that started a landslide.  
  
His injuries healed and Poppy certificating him complete health with an aggressive growl had been the go ahead for his return. The important things were in motion. Harry would live and remember.  
  
Clinging to that thought he silently made his way through the Forbidden Forest. He did not dare to return to his time in the castle, the wards were too strong; they might interfere with the magic he was about to work. The next clearing he found was suitable and he started preparing. He walked in a large circle, dropping crystals as he went.  
  
With a sigh he put down the cans of different colours in the middle of his protecting crystals, the brush lying lightly in his hand. Dipping it determinately into the white colour he started the pattern. White, blue and red lines - arranged into a complex pattern on the green grass - his lifeline home. Albus had painted a mirrored one in their time.  
  
Stretching his back out, he became aware of a person standing in the gloom outside his brightly lit crystal circle. "You should not have come, Harry." He immersed the brush into the white colour, the order of every line burnt into his memory. "It would be easier for both of us if you had stayed at the castle."  
  
"And that is what you want? Easy? Oh Severus, if you wanted simple you would never have lived with me." He stepped up to the circle, keeping his distance nevertheless but now bathed into the warm, orange light they emitted. "I had to come. Someone should see you off, don't you think?"  
  
Happy with the placement of the last line he cleaned his brush with a simple spell and put it back into the pocket he had taken it from. The small tins of colour were sealed off easily with magic and vanished into the robe as well. "Thanks," he whispered and stepped up to the barrier, laying his hand against the orange light. "Take care of yourself. Ron and Hermione, too. Bring them safe home from the battle."  
  
Harry nodded seriously, his hand rising up to lie on the other side of the now material barrier, unable to touch Severus. "I will. Always, Severus."  
  
"Always." _I love you. Always. I went on a journey through time for you. I would again._ His thoughts were left unsaid but they were reflected in Harry's eyes. A stranger from the future he had to leave now, or die. The spell was set in motion and the only way to get out of it alive was to finish it.  
  
Turning his back to Harry he stepped into the middle of the pattern and started to recite the words that would materialise the spell. The breeze that started up only raged behind the protective shield, a manifestation of the magic he was calling up. Orange turned to a bright red, engulfing him completely.  
  
The light-headedness started first, this time minutes before he felt the familiar tug on his whole body. He was ripped apart from the inside, cell by cell. This time the pain was unbearable from the first instance, but he still managed to press out the last line of the spell, finalising his return home. Then the world sank into the sea of pain he had expected.  
  
It felt no worse than what he had experienced on his way to the past, but it was different as he was prepared. He anticipated it. Unlike last time he never lost consciousness, screaming his lungs out throughout the whole unpleasant affair. Every bone in his body cried out in agony, begging for it to stop.  
  
Before he knew it he was kneeling on soft grass, his eyes closed against bright, green light and tears running down his cheeks.  
  
"Welcome home, Severus."  
  
He did not trust his voice enough to speak just yet; instead he reached out with his hand and waited for Albus to hold onto it. Squeezing it gently he let go and lay down, waiting for the pain to dissipate. There was a rustling of robes when the headmaster kneeled down next to him.  
  
"There is nothing we can do now, my boy. The only thing left is to leave the time-protected zone and hope for the best-"  
  
Severus tuned Albus' voice out; it was a calming sound. Then, when his body no longer felt like a pincushion for scimitars he opened his eyes and carefully sat up. "Let's go." The flow of words stopped and the older wizard in his ridiculously pink robes climbed to his feet.  
  
Accepting the hand offered for help Severus regained his own footing and tried to brush off grass and leaves stuck to the sweat wet back. He looked briefly at Albus, and then they stepped up to the softly glowing, see-through green barrier.  
  
They looked at each other for a moment, and then stepped through it at the same time. _Please, God. Please, Merlin, or whoever is listening. Please._

* * *

A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it. 


	10. One Step

Disclaimers: Neither the idea of Harry Potter nor the characters belong to me in any way. They are the sole property of JKR. I do not make any money of this story either.

Author's Note: This chapter did not want to be written until recently. For this reason I am terribly happy to announce, that Amnesia is no longer a work in progress, but a finished story. Thanks to my betas Darkmoore and Christine for poking me once in a while and asking me how it's going with the story.

Chapter 10 – One step 

Poised on the brink to the future, Severus just stood there for a moment. His eyes were on Albus, who had taken this last step and now seemed to stand further inside their shimmering wall of protection unmoving and surrounded by a multitude of colours. Afflicted by doubts he was hesitant to follow. He let go of Albus hand and drew back a little. What if he had not changed enough? What if Harry was still possessed by Voldemort and without memory? Would he end up in a world as repugnant to him as the last one? Severus shuddered at his train of thoughts and forced himself to think positive. "Maybe everything will be fine. Everything will be as it should be." Saying it aloud did not make it true, he knew that, but it made him feel better.

Albus' figure vanished slowly; he was fading from this time. There was no place for either of them here. The bubble of green light was the only thing that made it possible for him to live here. With Albus gone this last protection would contract until there was only enough space for Severus, but time would refuse to go on without him. No matter how long he stayed there, safe between green walls of energy, whenever he chose to walk through the barrier that separated him from his life, it would be like no time had passed.

For a split second he wanted to stay behind in the bubble, out of time, completely safe from physical and emotional pain. Then he squared his shoulders, gritted his teeth and steeled himself for what might come. The literature he had studied in order to perform the tempus via spell had been less extensive than he had wished. But every source he had found was unanimous about the fact, that no-one had ever come back from this spell. Most had gone mad and the only thing they had uttered were moans and screams. No-one had told them about the sensations, about the pain and the disorientation. Some had not come back at all.

Severus Snape intended to be the first one to come back into the new timeline without losing his mind. Changes were barely measurable, he knew that. He might not even remember doing any of this, but some individuals could identify altered memories easier than others, Albus was one of them. The headmaster would tell him, what they had done, Severus was sure. Bracing himself for what was coming Severus followed his friend.

One last step and he was through...

_ i Falling. An intense feeling of vertigo enveloped him and there were swirling colours all around him, confusing and sickening. He closed his eyes in self-preservation and flung his arms open as if to stop the movement or at least slow it down. The kaleidoscopic maelstrom around him could not be shut out, the colours tantalising through his eyelids. They made him physically ill. His stomach made somersaults and feeling like he was in free fall Severus screamed out in panic. _

_He could not even hear his own voice. Then it was over. /i _

... the barrier. His feet were back on solid ground and the sensory overload ceased as he swayed on his feet. Overbalancing a little because of the suddenness of it, Severus barely remained standing. There were so many new memories flooding him and his overtaxed mind shut off.

"What is the problem with him, Poppy?" Harry hovered at the end of the bed, his eyes fixed on the pale figure on the bed. "Is he alright?"

Madame Pomfrey gave a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes before she turned to the young DADA teacher. "He will be fine. Kindly leave now." By now she was used to the situation. Every time either of them was sick or injured the other became the bane of her existence. It started to grate on her nerves less than she would have expected. In a way she was just happy that their difficult Potion Master had finally found someone to be content with.

"I can't leave him alone," he said, clearly affronted and not appeased by her assurances. He conjured a chair from thin air and sat down on the other side of the sick man.

Poppy glared briefly at Harry, then decided that it was not worth the hassle. It was useless to deny either of the two. Both were stubborn to the end. Nevertheless she made one last effort of telling the younger of the pair that there was no need to worry, "Severus is well, he is as healthy as I expect him to be. As far as I can tell the heat got to his head." With a last stern look at Harry Potter-Snape she turned around and left for her office without further comments, fighting against a small smile that came to her unbidden.

Alone with his husband Harry tentatively reached out for Severus hand. The way the older man had just collapsed next to him on their way from the Quidditch Pitch had been more than just a little frightening. Suddenly he had stood stock still, his eyes had widened and he had moaned as if in pain, then collapsed without so much as a cry for help. Harry had never seen anything like it and did not want to see such a thing ever again.

There had only been one time in their relationship when Harry had been more scared for his partner than now.

_ I Harry stood in the middle of their living room, getting ready for the battle. The information had reached them only minutes ago, Death Eaters had apparated in Hogsmeade and were moving into their direction. It would take them half an hour to reach Hogwarts and gather - enough time to bring the children to safety and prepare for the oncoming battle. Enough time to be scared for the loved ones going into a fight with him. Severus was pacing the room impatiently, his hands deep in his pockets and Harry knew him well enough to read this as sign of his fear._

_The older man was scared for him and the knowledge made him feel warm despite his own fear. Even after all the time they had spent together as a couple Severus still very rarely showed his feelings so openly. Suddenly he stopped in front of Harry and turned to face him._

"_Here, Harry," Severus said softly and held out both his hands with several small vials in different colours. "Voldemort is very powerful, and the two of you have a connection. Merlin knows what happens when you cross wands with him again." His voice was shaking, but only very slightly, unnoticeable for anyone who did not know him well. "I have been working on these, to protect you three. The blue potion is for you, the green one is for Hermione and the red one is for Ron. Drink them before the fight and try not to die." _

_Harry did not know what to say to Severus' sign of caring, so he smiled serenely at his partner and carefully took the vials out of his hands. "What do the purple ones do?"_

"_They were Hermione's idea and will strengthen the final spell in your battle-plan," Severus answered silently._

_Feeling Severus' pain, Harry smiled reassuringly and put the vials in the vial pocket of his robe, then reached out to grab the lapel of Severus' black robes and gently pulled him closer into a strong hug. "Albus has drilled us for this, Severus, you said yourself that we are as ready as we'll get. You know that he has to be stopped, once and forever." Feeling his partner cling to him like he was a life-line, Harry stroked his back along the spine to calm both of them down. "Don't worry, Severus, we will be fine. Everything will be fine," he whispered gently, for both their sakes._

_Suddenly Severus pulled back and looked intensely at Harry, "Promise me to come back." There was a desperation in his words that made Harry want to stay in the castle, in their rooms and never go outside again._

"_Only if you promise not to leave," he said gently, an impish smile securely on his face. It was a promise he had asked from Severus countless times, meant to make his skittish lover finally admit to himself, that they both could not go back to the way things were before they became a couple. _

_For a long moment Severus said nothing, then he pulled Harry closer for a gentle kiss. "I promise," he breathed when they parted for air._

_Not wanting to destroy the atmosphere Harry whispered, "I will be back." They looked at each other for a long time, then kissed briefly before they walked off without another word, both to the places they had been assigned to previously._

_Harry did not have to wait long before the Death Eaters stepped out of the dark folds of the Forbidden Forest. Voldemort was the last who appeared, his men like a wall in front of him. A visibly pregnant Hermione was standing to Harry's right, hand in hand with her husband, their wands in their free hands. They both looked determined._

_The fights started immediately, but no-one raised a wand at Harry and his friends. They had been right, Voldemort wanted to dispose of him personally, but held back. He obviously was waiting for Harry to come to him instead of fighting his way through the battle lines._

_Looking around Harry thought his heart would stop beating. Severus had been circled by several Death Eaters. They were taunting him with words barely audible over the noises of battle._

_Scared of losing the older man Harry forgot their grand scheme completely. "Severus", he whispered. He would have run off to save him if Hermione's words had not held him back._

"_He will be fine, Harry, remember the plan. We have a far more important duty."_

_He closed his eyes for a moment then turned away from what had the potential to destroy his life. "Let's go." It was the hardest thing he had ever done, to turn his back on the man he loved in a time like this. Torn between his need to keep Severus safe and his desire to kill the man who was responsible for the death of so many people was very painful. No matter how much he loved Severus or how important the man was to Harry, he had to take care of Voldemort first. Once and for all._

_Resisting the urge to look for the tall, black clad figure in the chaos Harry, Hermione and Ron set off towards their own battle. I _

They had both survived the battle, but Harry had spent weeks in the infirmary. Voldemort's dying present had been a vicious spiritual attack directed not only at Harry, but also at Hermione and Ron. Even without knowing what spell he had used, they were sure the chances of surviving that without the protective spells and potions would have been close to zero. Very close to zero.

Even now Harry did not know why Severus had decided to brew those potions for them, especially as they took more than a month to make. How the older man could have thought that they would need the extra protection was still a miracle to Harry.

Harry had borne the brunt of the attack, so he had been the only one ending up in the infirmary and until Severus had stormed into the room, Harry had been certain that the Potion Master had died. It had been the worst day of his life.

Gently stroking Severus' hand Harry banished his dark thoughts of the past and concentrated on the present. Pomfrey would never lie to him, but the younger man could not evade the thought, that people did not just keel over.

Slowly drifting up from sleep Severus felt wonderful. The gentle stroke of a warm hand on his arm made him feel all warm and the softness of the bed felt like flying. He did not want to open his eyes and lose the vestiges of this wonderful dream he had had. Harry had been there, he had sounded worried, but he had been there.

So lonely, he had felt so lonely. The tears burning in his eyes were like a relief, he had never mourned. Never mourned the loss of the other part of his soul, not even when he found him again and there was no recognition in those green eyes. Hermione would never forgive him that he did not help Harry, that he had not been there to save him. He would never see little Melinda again, the little wonder. And Severus had already started to love the little Weasley tyke more than he had ever anticipated.

"Severus."

Keeping his eyes closed, Severus breathed as normally as he could. That voice. Could that be Harry? But Harry was dead! He had died with Hermione and Ron at the final battle, leaving him alone in this world. Hermione. His confusion mounted. Hermione survived, did she not?

She gave birth to Melinda Weasley, with an excited Ron running out to tell Harry and him that their little daughter was perfect.

Utterly confused by his conflicting thoughts he opened his eyes to find a pair of sparkling green ones look back at him. "Harry?" His voice was nothing but a croak. Confused at his erratic thoughts he closed his eyes again briefly. How could he remember all of them being alive and still believe them dead?

The younger wizard practically threw himself over Severus, disrupting the confused mess his thinking was. "Don't ever do that again, I was worried out of my mind."

Slowly realization seeped into him that he must have had a bad dream, a dream so real, that it had mixed with his reality. They had not died and Harry had never lost his memory, his family was intact. He hugged Harry back, unable to let him go for fear the nightmare was real and the moment of happiness he was currently living through was only a dream. When the Harry in his arms did not dissolve into nothing he calmed down, content to sink back into sleep.

Sitting in his office Albus Dumbledore stared at the letters sporting Severus sharp handwriting displayed on his desktop. "What do you say, Fawkes, was it right to send Severus back?" The phoenix twittered a little and then settled on his lap. Contemplating the crisp pages Severus had left for Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione and Ron the headmaster absentmindedly stroked his white beard. "Yes, I think so, too. He did rather well, no?" Gently petting the bright plumage of his friend he read through the letters again, not that he needed to. The headmaster had not forgotten anything, not a minute of his stay behind the protective time-bubble.

He had the blessing – or curse – of remembering both time-lines. _ I Sometimes I'm too clever for my own good, /I _ Albus thought, a deep sigh escaping him. Normally he had himself under better control, but at the moment he had to deal with a dual timeline that was slowly driving him to distraction.

When he had created the Tempus Via spell he had been young, opportunistic and hopeful. Even though he had been a positive person, he had a deeper understanding of human nature than most wizards. He had known the human mind well enough to know that there would be people who would utilize it for their own goals. Unknown to everyone else involved, he had decided all by himself that this spell was far too dangerous to be left unsupervised – and had included more than just one safety measure. Excluding himself from forgetting the time-lines and the immense pain were only two of them.

No-one could come back from the spell and be sane without Albus himself participating. The old wizard had known fully well that there was not only danger from people like Grindewald and Voldemort. The Minister of Magic himself would have tried to change things, not heeding the dangers involved or the ethics behind such a thing. Fudge had been a disgrace for the office when the time for action had come and had proven all of Albus fears right.

Gathering his thoughts he swept the letters into the upper left drawer of the desk and locked it magically. Fawkes almost purred, left his moving resting place, flew around the room once, and then settled on his usual perch.

Everything was as it should be.

The End.

A/N: Comments? Criticism? Suggestions? Review :). I'd appreciate it.


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